LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


THE  ROMANCE 


OF 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 


BY 

PHILIP  HENRY  GOSSE,  F.R.S. 

AUTHOR  OF  "AQUARIUM,"   "HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS,"    "RIVERS  OF  THE  BIBLE." 

••  NATURAL  HISTORY   OP  BIRDS,  MAMMALS,   REPTILES,"   i;THE  OCEAN,'5 

"  POPULAR    BRITISH  ORNITHOLOGY,"  ETC.   ETC. 


(Elegant 


BOSTON: 


GOULD     AND     LINCOLN, 

59    WASHINGTON    STREET. 

NEW    YORK:    SHELDON   AND   COMPANY. 
CINCINNATI  :  GEORGE  S.  BLANCHARD. 

1864. 


TTRRARY 


PREFACE. 


THERE  are  more  ways  than  one  of  studying  natural  his- 
tory. There  is  Dr  Dryasdust's  way ;  which  consists  of 
mere  accuracy  of  definition  and  differentiation ;  statistics 
as  harsh  and  dry  as  the  skins  and  bones  in  the  museum 
where  it  is  studied.  There  is  the  field-observer's  way ;  the 
careful  and  conscientious  accumulation  and  record  of  facts 
bearing  on  the  life-history  of  the  creatures ;  statistics  as 
fresh  and  bright  as  the  forest  or  meadow  where  they  are 
gathered  in  the  dewy  morning.  And  there  is  the  poet's 
way;  who  looks  at  nature  through  a  glass  peculiarly  his 
own  ;  the  aesthetic  aspect,  which  deals,  not  with  statistics, 
but  with  the  emotions  of  the  human  mind, — surprise, 
wonder,  terror,  revulsion,  admiration,  love,  desire,  and  so 
forth, — which  are  made  energetic  by  the  contemplation 
of  the  creatures  around  him. 

In  my  many  years'  wanderings  through  the  wide  field 
of  natural  history,  I  have  always  felt  towards  it  something 


vi  PREFACE. 

of  a  poet's  heart,  though  destitute  of  a  poet's  genius.  As 
Wordsworth  so  beautifully  says, — 

"  To  me  the  meanest  flower  that  blows  can  give 
Thoughts  that  jdo  often  lie  too  deep  for  tears." 

Now,  this  book  is  an  attempt  to  present  natural  history 
in  this  aesthetic  fashion.  Not  that  I  have  presumed  con- 
stantly to  indicate — like  the  stage-directions  in  a  play,  or 
the  "  hear,  hear ! "  in  a  speech — the  actual  emotion  to  be 
elicited ;  this  would  have  been  obtrusive  and  impertinent ; 
but  I  have  sought  to  paint  a  series  of  pictures,  the  reflec- 
tions of  scenes  and  aspects  in  nature,  which  in  my  own 
mind  awaken  poetic  interest,  leaving  them  to  do  their 
proper  work. 

If  I  may  venture  to  point  out  one  subject  on  which  I 
have  bestowed  more  than  usual  pains,  and  which  I  my- 
self regard  with  more  than  common  interest,  it  is  that  of 
the  last  chapter  in  this  volume.  An  amount  of  evidence 
is  adduced  for  the  existence  of  the  sub-mythic  monster 
popularly  known  as  "  the  sea-serpent,"  such  as  has  never 
been  brought  together  before,  and  such  as  ought  almost 
to  set  doubt  at  rest.  But  the  cloudy  uncertainty  which 
has  invested  the  very  being  of  this  creature  ;  its  home  on 
the  lone  ocean ;  the  fitful  way  in  which  it  is  seen  and  lost 
in  its  vast  solitudes  ;  its  dimensions,  vaguely  gigantic ;  its 
dragon-like  form ;  and  the  possibility  of  its  association 
with  beings  considered  to  be  lost  in  an  obsolete  antiquity ; 


PREFACE.  vil 

all  these  are  attributes  which  render  it  peculiarly  precious 
to  a  romantic  naturalist.  I  hope  the  statisticians  will  for- 
give me  if  they  cannot  see  it  with  my  spectacles. 

The  Illustrations  are  drawn  for  the  most  part  by  Wolf, 
and  engraved  by  Whymper :  they  will  speak  for  them- 
selves. 

P.  H    0. 

TORQUAY.  1860. 


CONTENTS. 


I.  TIMES  AND  SEASON'S. 

PAQ< 

Winter  in  the  Polar  Regions — Aurora — Snow-storiu  —  Suow  on 
Trees  —  Beauty  of  Snow-drifts  —  Silver-thaw  —  Opening  of 
Spring  —  Butterflies  —  Beetles  —  Fishes  —  Bees  —  Flowers  — 
Spring  in  Canada — Leafing  of  Forest — Summer — Autumn — 
Autumnal  Colours  in  American  Forests — Indian  Summer — 
Autumn  in  the  Alps — Morning  in  Newfoundland  —  Beaver- 
pond— Water-insects— Morning  in  Jamaica— Awakening  Buds 
— Daybreak  in  Venezuela — Sunrise  in  the  Oural — Winter-Noon 
in  England — Noon  in  a  Brazilian  Forest — Sunset  in  the  Oural 
— Sunset  in  the  Altaian— Mothing  in  a  Summer  Evening  in 
England — Night  on  the  Niesen — Night  on  the  Jamaican  Moun- 
tains— Night  in  Tropical  Forests — Night-sounds  in  Jamaica — 
— in  Brazil — on  the  Amazon — in  Tobago — in  Burmah — Beast- 
voices  in  Guiana — Night  on  the  Amazon — Night  in  Central 
Africa  —  Night-lamps  —  English  Glow-worms  —  Fire-fl.es  in 
Canada — in  Alabama — in  Jamaica — Luminous  Elater,  .  .  1 


II.  HARMONIES. 

Distribution  of  Animals  and  Plants — Harmony  of  a  Natural  his- 
tory Picture — Gazelle  in  Desert — Hyena  in  a  ruined  City — 
Siberian  Stag  in  Altaian  Gorge — Lammergeyer  in  the  Alatou 


CONTENTS. 

PAOR 

— Sperm-whales  in  Beagle  Channel — Guanaco  on  the  Andes — 
Reindeer  on  a  Snow  Fjeld — Burrell  at  the  Source  of  the  Ganges 
— Elephant  in  South  African  Forest — Lions  at  an  African  Pool 
at  Midnight — Butterflies  in  Brazilian  Forest,  .  .  .  .38 


III  DISCREPANCIES. 

Life  at  great  Depths  of  Ocean — Life  in  Snow — Trees  growing  in 
Ice — Life  in  the  Sandy  Desert — Life  in  a  Volcano — Life  in 
Dust  at  Sea — Life  in  Brine — Life  in  boiling  Springs — Blind 
Fauna  of  Caverns — Oceanic  Bird  Stations — Land  Birds  at  Sea  — 
Insects  at  Sea — Insects  at  lofty  Elevations — Flying-fish  in  Bed 
— Shoal  of  Fish  in  a  Parlour,  ....  .64 


IV.  MULTUM  fe  PARVO. 

Coral  Structures — Polypes — Lagoons — Beauty  of  Coral  Island — 
Rate  of  Increase — Proposed  Employment  of  Coral-builders — 
Diatomacece — Immense  Accumulations  of  Diatoms — Presence 
in  Guano — Ocean  Streaks — Food  of  Salpse — of  Whales — Origin 
of  Chalk-flints  —  Vermilion  Sea  —  Green  Water  —  Forests 
planted  by  Finches — Destructive  Insects — Locusts — Timber- 
beetles — White-ants — Forest  Scavengers  in  Brazil — Zimb — 
Tsetse — Golubacser  Fly — Musquito, 


V.  THE  VAST. 

Whales — Elephants — in  India — in  Africa — Condor — Exaggerations 
of  Travellers — Great  Serpents — Ancient  Celebrities — Darnell's 
Picture — Guiana  Boa — Oriental  Pythons — African  Python- 
Tabular  Summary— Colossal  Sea-weeds— Cane — Cacti— Echi- 
nocactus — Candelabra  Cacti  — Giant  Cactus  —  Dragon-tree  of 
Orotava — Banyan  of  India— Baobab  of  Senegal — Mexican  Cy- 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAOB 

press — Zamang  del  G  nay  re — Elm  in  Wales— Limes  in  Lithu- 
ania— Oak  in  France — Locust-trees  in  Brazil — Gum-trees  in 
Australia — Mammoth-tree  of  California — A  tall  Family — Fell- 
ing the  "  Big  Tree " — Speculation, Ill 


VI.  THE  MINUTE. 

V.'onder  at  Minuteness — Complexity  —  Meliccrta — Its  Building 
Powers— Mental  Faculties — The  Invisible  World — Diatoms — 
Their  Form  and  Structure — Mode  of  Increase — Mode  of  Aggre- 
gation— Various  Points  of  Interest — Life  in  a  Drop  of  Water 
— Infusoria — Stentor — Animalcule-tree  —  Floscularia  —  Roti- 
fera — Notommata — Salpina — Laying  and  Hatching  of  an  Egg 
— Sculptured  Shells — Anursea — Maximus  in  Minimis,  .  ,148 


VII.  THE  MEMORABLE. 

Chuck-will's  Widow — A  Night  Scene — Helicon ia — Singular  Habit  of 
a  Butterfly — Swarming  of  Urania — A  Jamaican  Forest — Tree- 
ferns — A  Brazilian  Forest — Glories  of  Tropical  Scenery — 
Strange  Scene  in  a  Churchyard — The  Bird  of  Paradise  at 
Home — Washington's  Eagle — A  Night  with  Fern-owls — The 
King  of  the  Butterflies  captured— First  Sight  of  the  Royal 
Water-lily — Scene  in  the  Life  of  Mungo  Park — Scientific  En- 
thusiasm— Humboldt's  Experience,  .  .  ,  .  .172 


VIII.  THE  RECLUSE. 

Strange  Tameness  of  Animals — Vigilance  and  Jealousy — Caution 
and  Confidence  combined — Shyness  and  Coyness — Eagles — 
Ducks — Stanzas  to  a  Water-fowl — Ostrich — Rhea — Scottish 
Urns — European  Bison — Mode  in  which  it  is  hunted — Suspi- 
ciousness  of  Moose — Reputed  Power  of  remaining  submerged 
— Strange  Story — Crusting- Moose-yard  — Solitary  Habits — 


XI 1  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

Chamois — Difficulties  of  approaching  it — The  Gemze"  Fawn — 
Recluse  Life  in  a  Forest-pool — Grebes  in  early  Morning — 
Snake-bird — Water-shrew — Its  Playful  Manners,  .  .  .  1 95 


IX.  THE  WILD. 

Capture  of  a  Shark—  Nautical  Eagerness  for  the  Sport — Hook  and 
Line  —  Harpoon  —  An  expressive  Countenance  —  Attendant 
Sharks  at  Night— Scene  in  the  Pacific — Sperm-whales  at 
Night— Element  of  Unearthliness— Whetsaw— White  Owl- 
Bittern — Qua-bird — Prophetic  Imagery  of  Desolation — Devil- 
bird — Eagle-owl — Guacharo — Rise  of  Water-fowl  from  River 
— Assault  of  a  Cuttle — Shriek  of  Jackal — American  Howling 
Monkeys — Prairie  Wolves — African  Wild  Dogs,  .  .  .218 

X.  THE  TERRIBLE. 

Man's  Dominion  over  the  Creatures — Sometimes  contested — Bestial 
Conflicts  —  Wolf  —  A  Mother's  Sacrifice  —  Night-attack  of 
Wolves  in  Mongolia — Bears — Syrian  Bear — Grizzly  Bear— En- 
counter with  one — Wild  Beasts  in  Africa — Terrors  of  Ele- 
phant-hunting— Mr  Oswell's  Adventure — Horrible  Death  of 
Thackwray — Hottentot's  Adventure  with  a  Rhinoceros — Simi- 
lar Adventure  of  Mr  Oswell — Thunberg's  Encounter  with  a 
Cape  Buffalo— Terrific  Peril  of  Captain  Methuen— Nearly  fatal 
Combat  with  a  Kangaroo — An  old  Carthaginian  Voyage  of 
Discovery — Wild  Men — Identification  of  these  with  Apes — 
The  Gorilla — His  Prowess — Comic  Scenes  with  the  Elephant 
— Tragic  Encounters  with  Man — Perils  of  Whale-fishing — An 
Involuntary  Dive — Horrid  Voracity  of  Sharks — The  Crocodile 
— Fatal  Adventure  with  an  Alligator — Potency  of  Poisonous 
Serpents — Detail  of  Symptoms  of  Poisoning — Case  of  Mr 
Buckland — Death  of  Curling — Coolness  of  an  Indian  Officer — 
Ugliness  of  Vipers — Shocking  Adventure  in  Guiana — Another 
in  Venezuela — Fatal  Encounter  with  Bees  in  India,  .  .210 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

XI.  THE  UNKNOVrX. 

PAGE 

Charm  of  the  Unknown — Expectation  of  an  exploring  Naturalist — 
His  daily  Experiences — Experience  of  Mr  Bates  —Animals  in 
Brazil — A  Natural-history  Day  on  the  Amazon — Anticipations 
of  Mr  Wallace — The  Far  East— What  may  be  expected  in 
Zoology — In  South  America — A  great  Ape — In  the  Oriental 
Archipelago — In  Papua — In  China — In  Japan — In  the  Farther 
Peninsula — In  Madagascar — In  Africa — Hope  points  to  Central 
Africa — The  Unicorn — Native  Reports  and  Descriptions  of  it 
— Dr  A.  Smith's  Opinion — Drawings  by  Savages — Our  Ignor- 
ance of  the  Depth  of  Ocean — The  Aquarium — Fancy  Sketch  by 
Schleiden — Clearness  of  Arctic  Seaa, 271 


XII.  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

Wonders  of  Foreign  Parts — Scepticism — Moot  Points  in  Zoology — 
Necessity  of  Caution — Liability  to  Error—  Question  of  the 
Existence  of  a  "Sea-serpent" — Norwegian  Testimony — New 
England  Testimony — Mr  Perkins's  Report — Mr  Ince's  Nar- 
rative— Captain  M'Quhse's  Report — Lieut.  Drummond's — Ob- 
ject seen  by  Captain  Beechey — Mr  Stirling's  Suggestion  and 
Personal  Testimony — Suggestion  of  the  Plesiosaurus — Profes- 
sor Owen's  Strictures  and  Opinion — Suggests  a  great  Seal — 
Captain  M'Quhse's  Reply— Mr  Davidson's  confirmatory  Testi- 
mony— Animal  seen  from  the  Barham — Captain  Herriman 
examines  a  supposed  Sea-serpent — Finds  it  a  Sea-weed — Cap- 
tain Harrington's  Testimony — Cnptain  Smith's  Sea-weed  Ex- 
perience—  More  Testimony  from  the  Dcedalus  —  Examina- 
tion of  the  accumulated  Evidence — Recapitulation — Dismis- 
sion of  Sea-weed  Hypothesis — Tests — Mammalia — Professor 
Owen's  Hypothesis — Reasons  against  it — Vagueness  of  the 
Drawings — No  Seal  tenable — Cetacea — Fishes — Shark  Hypo- 
thesis— Ribbon-Fishes — Eels  —  Reptiles— Small  Sea-snakes — 
Occurrence  of  a  true  Serpent  in  the  Atlantic  —Serpent  Hypo- 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

thesis  rejected — Consideration  of  Enaliosaurian  Hypothesis — 
Resemblances — Difficulty  of  Mane — Objections  examined — 
Improbability  of  Perpetuation  of  the  Form— Examples  ad- 
duced— Evidence  of  present  Enaliosauria — Absence  of  recent 
Remains — This  Objection  shewn  to  be  groundless — Examples 
of  recent  Whales— The  Whale  of  Havre — Sowerby's  Diodon — 
IJi;;'h -finned  Cachalot — Rhinoceros  Whale — Defphinorkynch u.s 
of  the  Atlantic  -Conclusion.  .  ....  207 


fist  of  Illustrations. 


PLATE. 

I.  THE  GORILLA  (Ffantispuse). 

II.  THE  HYENA  IN  THE  DESERTED  CITY,         .  42 

III.  A  BRAZILIAN  FOREST  SCENE,     ....  *»0 

IV.  A  TROPICAL  BIRD-STATION, 

V.  THE  AFRICAN  ELEPHANT,    .  ...  118 

VI.  A  GROUP  OF  TREE-FERNS,        ....  178 

VII.  WILD-FOWL  ON  SOLITARY  RIVER,    .  200 

VIII.  A  MOOSE-YARD,     . 

IX.  CAPTURE  OF  A  SHARK, 

X.  ASSAULT  OF  A  CUTTLE -36 

XL  ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  RHINOCEROS,  550 

XII    THE  SEA-SERPENT  (on  the  Enatiosawrian  %/**/«'«*),  358 


THE 

ROMANCE  OP  NATURAL  HISTORY, 


TIMES  AND   SEASONS. 

"  To  everything  there  is  a  season ; "  and,  in  its  season, 
everything  is  comely.  Winter  is  not  without  its  charm, 
the  charm  of  a  grand  and  desolate  majesty.  The  Arctic 
voyagers  have  seen  King  Winter  on  his  throne,  and  a  full 
royal  despot  he  is.  When  the  mercury  is  solid  in  the 
bulb,  to  look  abroad  on  the  boundless  waste  of  snow,  all 
silent  and  motionless,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  six-months' 
night,  must  be  something  awful.  And  yet  there  is  a  glory 
and  a  beauty  visible  in  perfection  only  then.  There  is 
the  moon,  of  dazzling  brightness,  circling  around  the 
horizon ;  there  are  ten  thousand  crystals  of  crisp  and 
crackling  snow  reflecting  her  beams ;  there  are  the  stars 
flashing  and  sparkling  with  unwonted  sharpness;  and 
there  is  the  glorious  aurora  spanning  the  purple  sky  with 
its  arch  of  coruscating  beams,  now  advancing,  now  re- 
ceding, like  angelic  watchers  engaged  in  mystic  dance, 
now  shooting  forth  spears  and  darts  of  white  light  with 
rustling  whisper,  and  now  unfurling  a  broad  flag  of  crim- 


2  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

soned  flame,  that  diffuses  itself  over  the  heavens,  and  is 
reflected  from  the  unsullied  snow  beneath.  These  pheno- 
mena I  have  seen  during  many  years'  residence  in  the 
grim  and  ice-bound  Newfoundland,  and  in  still  sterner 
Canada.  There,  too,  I  have  often  witnessed  the 

,  .  .  .  "  Kindred  glooms, 
Congenial  horrors !".... 

that  the  poet  apostrophises,  when 

.  .  .  .  "  The  snows  arise,  and,  foul  and  fierce, 
All  winter  drives  along  the  darken'd  air." 

A  snow-storm,  when  the  air  is  filled  with  the  thick  flakes 
driven  impetuously  before  a  blinding  gale,  rapidly  oblite- 
rating every  landmark  from  the  benighted  and  bewildered 
traveller's  search  on  a  wild  mountain-side  in  Canada ;  or 
on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  when  a  heavy  sea  is  run- 
ning, and  floes  of  ice,  sharp  as  needles  and  hard  as  rocks, 
are  floating  all  around — is  something  terrible  to  witness, 
and  solemn  to  remember. 

Yet  there  are  gentler  features  and  more  lovable  attri- 
butes of  winter,  even  in  those  regions  where  he  reigns 
autocratically.  The  appearance  of  the  forest,  after  a 
night's  heavy  snow  in  calm  weather,  is  very  beautiful. 
On  the  horizontal  boughs  of  the  spruces  and  hemlock- 
pines,  it  rests  in  heavy,  fleecy  masses,  which  take  the 
form  of  hanging  drapery,  while  the  contrast  between  the 
brilliant  whiteness  of  the  clothing  and  the  blackness  of 
the  sombre  foliage  is  fine  and  striking.  Nor  are  the 
forms  which  the  drifted  snow  assumes  less  attractive. 


SILVER-THAW.  3 

Here,  it  lies  in  gentle  undulations,  swelling  and  sinking ; 
there,  in  little  ripples,  like  the  sand  of  a  sea-beach ;  here, 
it  stands  up  like  a  perpendicular  wall ;  there,  like  a  coni- 
cal hil]  •  here,  it  is  a  long,  deep  trench  ;  there,  a  flat,  over- 
hanging table ;  but  one  of  the  most  charming  of  it»  many- 
visaged  appearances  is  that  presented  by  a  shed  or  out- 
house well  hung  with  cobwebs.  After  a  drift,  the  snow 
is  seen,  in  greater  or  less  masses,  to  have  attached  itself 
to  the  cobwebs,  and  hangs  from  the  rafters  and  walls,  and 
from  corner  to  corner,  in  graceful  drapery  of  the  purest 
white,  and  of  the  most  fantastic  shapes. 

The  elegant  arabesques  that  the  frost  forms  on  our 
window-panes,  and  the  thin  blades  and  serrated  swords 
of  which  hoar-frost  is  composed,  are  beautiful ;  and  still 
more  exquisitely  charming  are  the  symmetrical  six-rayed 
stars  of  falling  snow,  when  caught  on  a  dark  surface. 
But  I  think  nothing  produced  by  the  magic  touch  of 
winter  can  excel  a  phenomenon  I  have  often  seen  in  the 
woods  of  the  transatlantic  countries  named  above,  where 
it  is  familiarly  called  silver- thaw.  It  is  caused  by  rain 
descending  when  the  stratum  of  air  nearest  the  earth  is 
below  32  deg.,  and  consequently  freezing  the  instant  it 
touches  any  object;  the  ice  accumulates  with  every  drop  of 
rain,  until  a  transparent,  glassy  coating  is  formed.  On  the 
shrubs  and  trees,  the  effect  is  magical,  and  reminds  one  of 
fairy  scenes  described  in  oriental  fables.  Every  little  twig, 
every  branch,  every  leaf,  every  blade  of  grass  is  enshrined 
in  crystal ;  the  whole  forest  is  composed  of  sparkling, 
transparent  glass,  even  to  the  minute  leaves  of  the  pines 


4  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

and  firs.  The  sun  shines  out.  What  a  glitter  of  light ! 
How  the  beams,  broken,  as  it  were,  into  ten  thousand 
fragments,  sparkle  and  dance,  as  they  are  reflected  from 
the  trees !  Yet  it  is  as  fragile  as  beautiful.  A  slight 
shock  from  a  rude  hand  is  sufficient  to  destroy  it.  The 
air  is  filled  with  a  descending  shower  of  the  glittering 
fragments,  and  the  spell  is  broken  at  once  ;  the  crystal 
pageant  has  vanished,  and  nothing  remains  but  a  brown, 
leafless  tree. 

But  all  this  is  the  beauty  of  death  ;  and  the  naturalist, 
though  he  may,  and  does,  admire  its  peculiar  loveliness, 
yet  longs  for  the  opening  of  spring.  To  his  impatience  it 
has  seemed  as  if  it  would  never  come ;  but,  at  last,  on 
some  morning  toward  the  end  of  April,  the  sun  rises 
without  a  cloud,  the  south-west  wind  blows  softly,  and  he 
walks  forth,  "  wrapt  in  Elysium."  Life  is  now  abroad  : 
larks,  by  scores,  are  pouring  forth  sweet  carols,  as  they 
hang  and  soar  in  the  dazzling  brightness  of  the  sky;  the 
blackbird  is  warbling,  flute-like,  in  the  coppice;  swallows, 
newly  come  across  the  sea,  are  sweeping  and  twittering 
joyously;  the  little  olive-clad  warblers  and  white-throats 
are  creeping  about  like  mice  among  the  twigs  of  the 
hedges  ;  and,  ha  ! — sweetest  of  all  sounds  of  spring ! — 
there  are  those  two  simple  notes,  that  thrill  through  the 
very  heart, — the  voice  of  the  cuckoo  ! 

Here,  too,  are  the  butterflies.  The  homely  "  whites " 
of  the  garden  are  flitting  about  the  cabbages,  and  the 
tawny  "  browns "  are  dancing  along  the  hedge-rows  that 
divide  the  meadows;  the  delicate  "brimstone"  comes 


OPENING  OF  SPRING.  5 

bounding  over  the  fence,  and  alights  on  a  bed  of  prim- 
roses, itself  scarcely  distinguishable  from  one  of  them. 
On  the  commons  and  open  downs  the  lovely  little  "blues" 
are  frisking  in  animated  play ;  and  here  and  there  a  still 
more  minute  "  copper" — tiniest  of  the  butterfly  race — 
rubs  together  its  little  wings,  or  spreads  them  to  the  sun, 
glowing  with  scarlet  lustre  like  a  coal  of  fire. 

The  beetles  are  active,  too,  in  their  way.  The  tiger- 
beetle,  with  its  sparkling  green  wing-cases,  flies  before  our 
footsteps  with  watchful  agility,  and  numerous  atoms  are 
circling  round  the  blossoming  elms,  which,  on  catching 
one  or  two,  we  find  to  belong  to  the  same  class ;  the  dark- 
blue  Timarcha — the  bloody-nose — is  depositing  its  drop 
of  clear  red  liquid  on  the  blades  of  grass  ;  and  if  we  look 
into  the  ponds,  we  see  multitudes  of  little  black,  brown, 
and  yellow  forms  come  up  to  the  surface,  hang  there  for 
a  moment,  and  then  hurry  down  again  into  the  depths. 
And  then  come  up  the  newts  from  their  castle  in  the  mud, 
willing  to  see  and  to  be  seen  ;  for  they  have  donned  their 
vernal  attire,  and  appear  veritable  holiday  beaux,  arrayed 
in  the  pomp  of  ruffled  shirt  and  scarlet  waistcoat.  The 
frogs,  moreover,  are  busy  depositing  their  strings  of  bead- 
like  spawn,  and  announcing  the  fact  to  the  world  in  loud, 
if  not  cheerful  strains. 

The  streams,  freed  from  the  turbidity  of  the  winter 
rains,  roll  in  transparent  clearness,  now  gliding  along 
smooth  and  deep  in  their  weedy  course  through  "  th"  in- 
dented meads,"  where  the  roach  and  the  dace  play  in 
sight,  and  the  pike  lies  but  half-hidden  under  the  pro- 


6  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

jecting  bank ;  and  now  brawling  and  sparkling  in  frag- 
mentary crystal,  over  a  rocky  bed,  where  the  trout  dis- 
plays his  speckled  side  as  he  leaps  from  pool  to  pool. 

The  willows  on  the  river  margin  are  gay  with  their 
pendant  catkins,  to  whose  attractions  hundreds  of  hum- 
ming bees  resort,  in  preference  to  the  lovely  flowers  which 
are  already  making  the  banks  and  slopes  to  smile.  The 
homeliest  of  these,  even  the  dandelions  and  daisies,  the 
buttercups  and  celandines,  are  most  welcome  after  the 
dreariness  and  death  of  winter. 

"  Earth  fills  her  lap  with  treasures  of  her  own ; "  and 
even  "  the  meanest  flower  that  blows  "  has,  to  the  opened 
eye,  a  beauty  that  is  like  a  halo  of  glory  around  it.  Yet 
there  are  some  which,  from  the  peculiarities  of  their  form, 
colour,  or  habits,  charm  us  more  than  others.  The  ger- 
mander speedwell,  with  its  laughing  blue  eyes,  spangling 
every  hedge-bank — who  can  look  upon  it,  and  not  love  it  ? 
Who  can  mark  the  wild  hyacinths,  growing  in  battalions 
of  pale  stalks,  each  crowned  with  its  clusters  of  drooping 
bells ;  and  interspersed  with  the  tall  and  luxuriant  cow- 
slips, so  like  and  yet  so  different,  filling  the  air  with  their 
golden  beauty  and  sugary  fragrance,  without  rapture? 
Who  can  discover  the  perfumed  violet  amidst  the  rampant 
moss,  or  the  lily  of  the  valley  beneath  the  rank  herbage, 
without  acknowledging  how  greatly  both  beauty  and 
worth  are  enhanced  by  humility  ? 

If  in  this  favoured  land  we  are  conscious  of  emotions  of 
peculiar  delight,  when  we  see  the  face  of  nature  renewing 
its  loveliness  after  winter,  where  yet  the  influence  of  the 


SPRING  IN  CANADA.  7 

dreary  season  is  never  so  absolute  as  quite  to  quench  the 
activities  of  either  vegetable  or  animal  life,  and  where 
that  face  may  be  said  to  put  on  a  somewhat  gradual  smile 
ere  it  breaks  out  into  full  joyous  laughter — much  more 
impressive  is  the  coming  in  of  spring  with  all  its  charms 
in  such  a  country  as  Canada,  where  the  transition  is 
abrupt,  and  a  few  days  change  the  scene  from  a  waste  of 
snow  to  universal  warmth,  verdure,  and  beauty.  I  have  ob- 
served, with  admiration,  how  suddenly  the  brown  poplar 
woods  put  on  a  flush  of  tender  yellow-green  from  the 
rapidly-opening  leaves ;  how  quickly  the  maple  trees  are 
covered  with  crimson  blossoms  ;  how  brilliant  flowers  are 
fast  springing  up  through  the  dead  leaves  in  the  forests ; 
how  gay  butterflies  and  beetles  are  playing  on  every  bank 
where  the  snow  lay  a  week  before  ;  and  how  the  bushes 
are  ringing  with  melody  from  hundreds  of  birds,  which 
have  been  for  months  silent.  The  first  song  of  spring 
comes  on  the  heart  with  peculiar  power,  after  the  mute 
desolation  of  winter,  and  more  especially  when,  as  in 
the  country  I  speak  of,  it  suddenly  bursts  forth  in  a  whole 
orchestra  at  once.  The  song-sparrow  is  the  chief  per- 
former in  this  early  concert ;  a  very  melodious  little  crea- 
ture, though  of  unpretending  plumage. 

Much  of  all  this  charm  lies  in  the  circumstantials,  the 
associations,  It  may  be  that  there  is  something  in  the 
psychical,  perhaps  even  in  the  physical  condition  of  the 
observer,  superinduced  by  the  season  itself,  that  makes 
him  in  spring  more  open  to  pleasurable  emotions  from 
the  sights  and  sounds  of  nature.  But  much  depends  on 


8  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

association  and  contrast :  novelty  has  much  to  do  with 
it.  Everything  tells  of  happiness ;  and  we  cannot  help 
sympathising  with  it.  We  contrast  the  far)  with  the 
OdvaTos,  and  our  minds  revert  to  aOavacrta.  Here  is, 
where  before  there  was  not,  at  least  for  us ;  and  this  is 
novelty.  The  hundreds  of  rich  and  fragrant  violets  that 
we  find  in  April  are  not  less  rich  in  hue  or  less  fragrant 
in  odour  than  the  first ;  yet  the  first  violet  of  spring  had 
a  charm  that  all  these  combined  possess  not.  We  can 
never  hear  the  cuckoo's  voice,  we  can  never  mark  the 
swallow's  flight,  without  pleasure ;  but  the  first  cuckoo, 
the  first  swallow,  sent  a  thrill  through  our  hearts  which 
is  not  repeated.* 

Akin  to  this  is  the  rose-coloured  atmosphere  through 
which  every  thing  in  nature  is  seen  by  childhood  and 
youth  ;  to  whom  the  robin's  breast  appears  of  the  bright- 
est scarlet,  and  the  sloe  and  blackberry  are  delicious 
fruits.  Love  nature  as  we  may, — and  one  who  has  ever 
wooed  can  never  cease  to  love  her, — we  cannot  help  being 

*  Darwin,  writing  of  the  Australian  forest,  observes  : — "  The  leaves 
are  not  shed  periodically :  this  character  appears  common  to  the  entire 
southern  hemisphere,  namely,  South  America,  Australia,  and  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  The  inhabitants  of  this  hemisphere,  and  of  the  inter- 
tropical  regions,  thus  lose  perhaps  one  of  the  most  glorious,  though  to 
our  eyes  common,  spectacles  in  the  world, — the  first  bursting  into  full 
foliage  of  the  leafless  tree.  They  may,  however,  say  that  we  pay  dearly 
for  this  by  having  the  land  covered  with  mere  naked  skeletons  for  so 
many  months.  This  is  too  true ;  but  our  senses  acquire  a  keen  relish 
for  the  exquisite  green  of  the  spring,  which  the  eyes  of  those  living 
within  the  tropics,  sated  during  the  long  year  with  the  gorgeous  pro- 
ductions of  those  glowing  climates,  can  never  experience." — Nat.  Voy.t 
(ed.  1852,)  p.  433. 


AUTUMN.  9 

conscious,  as  "  years  bring  the  inevitable  yoke,"  of  such 
a  sadness  as  Wordsworth  has  described,  in  that  Ode  which 
— rejecting,  of  course,  as  anything  but  a  poetic  dream, 
the  theory  on  which  he  founds  it — is  one  of  the  most 
nobly  beautiful  poems  in  our  language  : — 

"  There  was  a  time  when  meadow,  grove,  and  stream, 
The  earth,  and  every  common  sight, 

To  me  did  seem 
Apparell'd  in  celestial  light, 
The  glory  and  the  freshness  of  a  dream. 
It  is  not  now  as  it  hath  been  of  yore ; — 
Turn  wheresoe'er  I  may, 

By  night  or  day, 
The  things  which  I  have  seen  I  now  can  see  no  more. 

"  The  rainbow  comes  and  goes; 
And  lovely  is  the  rose ; 
The  moon  doth  with  delight 
Look  round  her  when  the  heavens  are  bare  j 
Waters  on  a  starry  night 
Are  beautiful  and  fair ; 
The  sunshine  is  a  glorious  birth ; 
But  yet  I  know,  where'er  I  go, 
That  there  hath  pass'd  away  a  glory  from  the  earth." 

The  summer,  with  all  its  gorgeous  opulence  of  life, 
possesses  charms  of  its  own  ;  nor  is  autumn  destitute  of  an 
idiosyncrasy  which  takes  strong  hold  of  our  sympathies. 
We  cannot,  indeed,  divest  ourselves  of  a  certain  feeling 
of  sadness,  because  we  know  that  the  season  is  in  the 
decrepitude  of  age,  and  is  verging  towards  death.  In 
spring,  hope  is  prominent ;  in  autumn,  regret :  in  spring 
we  are  anticipating  life ;  in  autumn,  death. 


10  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

Yet  a  forest  country  in  autumn  presents  a  glorious 
spectacle,  and  nowhere  more  magnificent  than  in  North 
America,  where  the  decaying  foliage  of  the  hardwood 
forests  puts  on  in  October  the  most  splendid  colours. 
Every  part  of  the  woods  is  then  glowing  in  an  endless 
variety  of  shades ;  brilliant  crimson,  purple,  scarlet,  lake, 
orange,  yellow,  brown,  and  green :  if  we  look  from  some 
cliff  or  mountain-top  over  a  breadth  of  forest,  the  rich 
hues  are  seen  to  spread  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach ;  the 
shadows  of  the  passing  clouds,  playing  over  the  vast 
surface,  now  dimming  the  tints,  now  suffering  them  to 
flash  out  in  the  full  light  of  the  sun ;  here  and  there  a 
large  group  of  sombre  evergreens, — hemlock  or  spruce, 
— giving  the  shadows  of  the  picture,  and  acting  as  a  foil 
to  the  brightness ; — the  whole  forest  seems  to  have  be- 
come a  gigantic  parterre  of  the  richest  flowers.* 

"  Ere,  in  the  northern  gale, 

The  summer  tresses  of  the  trees  are  gone, 

The  woods  of  autumn,  all  around  our  vale, 

Have  put  their  glory  on. 

"  The  mountains  that  infold, 

In  their  wide  sweep,  the  colour 'd  landscape  round, 
Seem  groups  of  giant  kings,  in  purple  and  gold, 

That  guard  th'  enchanted  ground." — BRYANT. 

*  In  examining  the  details  of  this  mass  of  glowing  colour,  I  have 
found  that  by  far  the  greatest  proportion  is  produced  by  the  sugar- 
maple,  and  other  species  of  the  same  genus.  The  leaves  of  these  display 
all  shades  of  red,  from  deepest  crimson  to  bright  orange ;  which  gene- 
rally occurring  in  large  masses,  not  in  individual  detached  leaves,  pre- 
vents anything  tawdry  or  little  in  the  effect ;  on  the  contrary,  when 
the  full  beams  of  the  sun  shine  on  them,  the  warm  and  glowing  colours 


INDIAN  SUMMER.  11 

It  is  observable  that  after  all  this  short-lived  splendour 
has  passed  away,  and  the  trees  have  become  leafless,  in 
Canada  and  the  Northern  States,  there  always  occur  a 
few  days  of  most  lovely  and  balmy  weather,  which  is 
called  the  Indian  summer.  It  is  characterised  by  a 
peculiar  haziness  in  the  atmosphere,  like  a  light  smoke, 
by  a  brilliant  sun,  only  slightly  dimmed  by  this  haze,  and 
by  a  general  absence  of  wind.  It  follows  a  short  season 
of  wintry  weather,  so  as  to  be  isolated  in  its  character. 
One  circumstance  I  have  remarked  with  interest, — the 
resuscitation  of  insect  life  in  abundance.  Beautiful  but- 
terflies swarm  around  the  leafless  trees ;  and  moths  in 
multitudes  flit  among  the  weeds  and  bushes,  while  mi- 
nuter forms  hop  merrily  about  the  heaps  of  decaying 
leaves  at  the  edges  of  the  woods.  It  is  a  charming 
relaxation  of  the  icy  chains  of  winter. 

possess  a  great  deal  of  grandeur.  The  poplar  leaves  often  assume  a 
crimson  hue ;  the  elm,  a  bright  and  golden  yellow ;  birch  and  beech,  a 
pale,  sober,  yellow-ochre ;  ash  and  basswood,  different  shades  of  brown ; 
the  tamarack,  a  buff-yellow.  The  beech,  the  ash,  and  the  tamarack  do 
not,  in  general,  bear  much  part  in  this  glittering  pageant;  the  ash  is 
mostly  leafless  at  the  time,  and  the  glory  has  passed  away  before  the 
other  two  have  scarcely  begun  to  fade.  Indeed,  the  glossy  green  of 
the  beech  is  perhaps  more  effective  than  if  it  partook  of  the  general 
change;  and  even  the  gloomy  blackness  of  the  resinous  trees,  by 
relieving  and  throwing  forward  the  gayer  tints,  is  not  without  effect. 
This  beauty  is  not  shewn  to  equal  advantage  every  year :  in  some 
seasons  the  trees  fade  with  very  little  splendour,  the  colours  all  par- 
taking more  or  less  of  dusky,  sordid  brown ;  early  frosts  seem  to  be 
unfavourable  for  its  development :  and  even  at  its  best  it  is  a  melan- 
choly glory,  a  precursor  of  approaching  dissolution,  something  like  the 
ribbons  and  garlands  with  which  the  ancient  pagan  priests  were  accus- 
tomed to  adorn  the  animals  they  destined  for  sacrifice. 


12  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

Latrobe  has  depicted  the  aspect  of  the  same  season 
in  the  Alps,  which  may  be  compared  with  the  Ameri- 
can : — 

"  On-  my  arrival  [at  Neufchatel  at  the  beginning  of 
November],  the  vintage  was  over,  and  the  vineyards, 
lately  the  scene  of  so  much  life  and  gaiety,  now  lay  brown 
and  unsightly  upon  the  flanks  of  the  mountain  and  bor- 
der of  the  lake.  The  forest  trees  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  town,  and  the  brushwood  on  the  wide  and  steep 
acclivity  of  the  Chaumont,  were  still  decked  in  that  splen- 
did but  transient  livery  which  one  frosty  night's  keen 
and  motionless  breath,  or  a  few  hours'  tempest,  must 
strew  on  the  earth. 

"  There  is  something  strangely  moving  in  the  few  last 
short  and  tranquil  days  of  autumn,  as  they  often  inter- 
vene between  a  period  of  tempestuous  weather  and  the 
commencement  of  the  frosts.  The  face  of  nature  is  still 
sunny,  and  bright  and  beautiful ;  the  forest  still  yields  its 
shade,  and  the  sun  glistens  warm  and  clear  upon  the 
flower  and  stained  leaf. 

"  Then  there  is  the  gorgeous  autumnal  sunset  closing 
the  short  day ;  and  in  this  land  of  the  lake  and  mountain 
it  is  indeed  a  scene  of  enchantment.  There  is  the  rich 
tinge  of  the  broad  red  sun  stealing  over  and  blending  the 
thousand  hues  of  the  hill  and  forest,  and  the  flood  of 
glory  upon  the  sky  above  and  lake  beneath,  while  the 
snows  of  the  Alps  are  glowing  like  molten  ore.  I  see  it 
still,  and  it  warms  my  heart's  blood. 

"A  few  more  days,  and  then  rises  the  blast,  howling 


MORNING  IN  NEWFOUNDLAND.  13 

through  the  pine  forest  and  over  the  mountain-side,  shak- 
ing from  the  tree  its  fair  foliage,  roughening  the  surface 
of  the  lake,  and  drawing  over  the  sky  a  curtain  of  thick 
vapours  that  narrows  the  horizon  by  day,  and  shuts  out 
the  stars  by  night/ '  * 

The  different  divisions  of  the  day — early  morning,  noon, 
evening,  night — have  each  their  peculiar  phase  of  nature, 
each  admirable.  An  early  riser,  I  have  always  been  in 
the  habit  of  enjoying,  with  keen  relish,  the  opening  of 
day  and  the  awakening  of  life.  In  my  young  days  of 
natural  history,  when  pursuing  with  much  ardour  an 
acquaintance  with  the  insects  of  Newfoundland,  I  used 
frequently,  in  June  and  July,  to  rise  at  daybreak,  and 
seek  a  wild  but  lovely  spot  a  mile  or  two  from  the  town. 
It  was  a  small  tarn  or  lake  among  the  hills,  known  as 
Little  Beaver  Pond.  Here  I  would  arrive  before  the 
winds  were  up,  for  it  is  at  that  season  generally  calm 
till  after  sunrise.  The  scene,  with  all  its  quiet  beauty, 
rises  up  to  my  memory  now.  There  is  the  black,  calm, 
glassy  pond  sleeping  below  me,  reflecting  from  its  un- 
ruffled surface  every  tree  and  bush  of  the  dark  towering 
hills  above,  as  in  a  perfect  mirror.  Stretching  away  to 
the  east  are  seen  other  ponds,  embosomed  in  the  frowning 
mountains,  connected  with  this  one  and  with  each  other 
in  that  chain-fashion  which  is  so  characteristic  of  New- 
foundland ;  while,  further  on  in  the  same  direction,  be- 
tween two  conical  peaks,  the  ocean  is  perceived  reposing 
under  the  mantle  of  the  long  dark  clouds  of  morning. 
*  Alpenstock,  p.  162. 


14          .  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

There  is  little  wood,  except  of  the  pine  and  fir  tribe, 
sombre  and  still ;  a  few  birches  grow  on  the  hill-sides, 
and  a  wild  cherry  or  two  ;  but  willows  hang  over  the  water, 
and  many  shrubs  combine  to  constitute  a  tangled  thicket 
redolent  with  perfume.  Towards  the  margin  of  the  lake, 
the  ground  is  covered  with  spongy  swamp-moss,  and  several 
species  of  ledum  and  kalmia,  with  the  fragrant  gale,  give 
out  aromatic  odours.  The  low,  unvarying,  and  somewhat 
mournful  bleat  of  the  snipes  on  the  opposite  hill,  and  the 
short,  impatient  flapping  of  wings  as  one  occasionally  flies 
across  the  water,  seem  rather  to  increase  than  to  dimi- 
nish the  general  tone  of  repose,  which  is  aided,  too,  by 
yonder  bittern  that  stands  in  the  dark  shadow  of  an  over- 
hanging bush  as  motionless  as  if  he  were  carved  in  stone, 
reflected  perfectly  in  the  shallow  water  in  which  he  is 
standing. 

But  presently  the  spell  is  broken ;  the  almost  oppres- 
sive silence  and  stillness  are  interrupted ;  the  eastern 
clouds  have  been  waxing  more  and  more  ruddy,  and  the 
sky  has  been  bathed  in  golden  light  ever  becoming  more 
lustrous.  Now  the  sea  reflects  in  dazzling  splendour  the 
risen  sun ;  nature  awakes ;  lines  of  ruffling  ripple  run 
across  the  lake  from  the  airs  which  are  beginning  to 
breathe  down  the  glen  ;  the  solemn  stillness  which  weighed 
upon  the  woods  is  dissipated  ;  the  lowing  of  cattle  comes 
faintly  from  the  distant  settlements ;  crows  fly  cawing 
overhead ;  and  scores  of  tiny  throats  combine,  each  in  its 
measure,  to  make  a  sweet  harmony,  each  warbling  its 
song  of  unconscious  praise  to  its  beneficent  Creator. 


WATER-INSECTS.  15 

Then  with  what  delight  would  I  haste  to  the  lake-side, 
where  the  margin  was  fringed  with  a  broad  belt  of  the 
yellow  water-lily,  whose  oval  leaves  floating  on  the  sur- 
face almost  concealed  the  water,  while  here  and  there  the 
golden  globe  itself  protruded.  Having  pulled  out  my 
insect-net  from  a  rocky  crevice  in  which  I  was  accustomed 
to  hide  it,  I  would  then  stretch  myself  on  the  mossy  bank 
and  peer  in  between  the  lily  leaves,  under  whose  shadow 
I  could  with  ease  discover  the  busy  inhabitants  of  the 
pool,  and  watch  their  various  movements  in  the  crystal- 
line water. 

The  merry  little  boatflies  are  frisking  about,  backs 
downwards,  using  their  oar-like  hind  feet  as  paddles ;  the 
triple- tailed  larvae  of  dayflies  creep  in  and  out  of  holes  in 
the  bank,  the  finny  appendages  at  their  sides  maintaining 
a  constant  waving  motion ;  now  and  then  a  little  water- 
beetle  peeps  out  cautiously  from  the  cresses,  and  scuttles 
across  to  a  neighbouring  weed;  the  unwieldy  caddis- 
worms  are  lazily  dragging  about  their  curiously-built 
houses  over  the  sogged  leaves  at  the  bottom,  watching 
for  some  unlucky  gnat-grub  to  swim  within  reach  of  their 
jaws  ;  but,  lo  !  one  of  them  has  just  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
formidable  calliper-compasses  wherewith  that  beetle-larva 
seizes  his  prey,  and  is  yielding  his  own  life-blood  to  the 
ferocious  slayer.  There,  too,  is  the  awkward  sprawling 
spider-like  grub  of  the  dragonfly ;  he  crawls  to  and  fro 
on  the  mud,  now  and  then  shooting  along  by  means  of 
his  curious  valvular  pump ;  he  approaches  an  unsuspect- 
ing blood-worm,  and, — oh  !  I  remember  to  this  day  the 


1  6  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

enthusiasm  with  which  I  saw  him  suddenly  throw  out 
from  his  face  that  extraordinary  mask  that  Kirby  has  so 
graphically  described,  and,  seizing  the  worm  with  the 
serrated  folding-doors,  close  the  whole  apparatus  up  again 
in  a  moment.  I  could  not  stand  that :  in  goes  the  net ;  the 
clearness  is  destroyed  ;  the  vermin  fly  hither  and  thither ; 
and  our  sprawling  ill-favoured  gentleman  is  dragged  to 
daylight,  and  clapped  into  the  pocket-phial,  to  be  fattened 
at  home,  and  reared  "  for  the  benefit  of  science." 

Since  then  I  have  wooed  fair  nature  in  many  lands, 
and  have  always  found  a  peculiar  charm  in  the  early 
morning.  When  dwelling  in  the  gorgeous  and  sunny 
Jamaica,  it  was  delightful  to  rise  long  before  day  and  ride 
up  to  a  lonely  mountain  gorge  overhung  by  the  solemn 
tropical  forest,  and  there,  amidst  the  dewy  ferns  arching 
their  feathery  fronds  by  thousands  from  every  rock  and 
fallen  tree,  and  beneath  the  splendid  wild-pines  and  orchids 
that  droop  from  every  fork,  await  the  first  activity  of  some 
crepuscular  bird  or  insect.  There  was  a  particular  species 
of  butterfly,  remarkable  for  the  extraordinary  gem-like 
splendour  of  its  decoration,  and  peculiarly  interesting  to  the 
philosophic  naturalist  as  being  a  connecting  link  between 
the  true  butterflies  and  the  moths.  This  lovely  creature,  I 
discovered,  was  in  the  habit  of  appearing  just  as  the  sun 
broke  from  the  sea,  and  congregating  by  scores  around 
the  summit  of  one  tall  forest-tree  then  in  blossom,  filling 
the  air  with  their  lustrous  and  sparkling  beauty,  at  a  height 
most  tantalising  for  the  collector,  and  after  playing  in  giddy 
flight  for  about  an  hour,  retiring  as  suddenly  as  they  came. 


AWAKENING  BIRDS.  ]  7 

In  these  excursions  I  was  interested  in  marking  the 
successive  awakening  of  the  early  birds.  Passing  through 
the  wooded  pastures  and  guinea-grass  fields  of  the  upland 
slopes,  while  the  stars  were  twinkling  overhead,  while  as 
yet  no  indication  of  day  appeared  over  the  dark  moun- 
tain-peak, no  ruddy  tinge  streamed  along  the  east ;  while 
Venus  was  blazing  like  a  lamp,  and  shedding  as  much 
light  as  a  young  moon,  as  she  climbed  up  the  clear,  dark 
heaven  among  her  fellow-stars ; — the  nightjars  were  un- 
usually vociferous,  uttering  their  singular  note,  "witta- 
wittawit,"  with  pertinacious  iteration,  as  they  careered  in 
great  numbers,  flying  low,  as  their  voices  clearly  indi- 
cated, yet  utterly  indistinguishable  to  the  sight  from  the 
darkness  of  the  sky  across  which  they  flitted  in  their 
triangular  traverses.  Presently  the  flat-bill  uttered  his 
plaintive  wail,  occasionally  relieved  by  a  note  somewhat 
less  mournful.  When  the  advancing  light  began  to  break 
over  the  black  and  frowning  peaks,  and  Venus  waned, 
the  peadove  from  the  neighbouring  woods  commenced 
her  fivefold  coo,  hollow  and  moaning.  Then  the  petchary, 
from  the  top  of  a  tall  cocoa-palm,  cackled  his  three  or 
four  rapid  notes,  "  OP,  PP,  P,  Q ; "  and  from  a  distant 
wooded  hill,  as  yet  shrouded  in  darkness,  proceeded  the 
rich,  mellow,  but  broken  song  of  the  hopping-dick-thrush, 
closely  resembling  that  of  our  own  blackbird.  Now  the 
whole  east  was  ruddy,  and  the  rugged  points  and  trees 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountain-ridge,  interrupting  the 
flood  of  crimson  light,  produced  the  singularly  beautiful 
phenomenon  of  a  series  of  rose-coloured  beams,  diverging 


18  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

from  the  eastern  quarter,  and  spreading,  like  an  expanded 
fan,  across  the  whole  arch  of  heaven,  each  ray  dilating  as 
it  advanced.  The  harsh  screams  of  the  clucking-hen 
came  up  from  a  gloomy  gorge,  and  from  the  summit  of 
the  mountain  were  faintly  heard  the  lengthened  flute-like 
notes,  in  measured  cadence,  of  the  solitaire.  Then  mock- 
ing-birds all  around  broke  into  song,  pouring  forth  their 
rich  gushes  and  powerful  bursts  of  melody,  with  a  pro- 
fusion that  filled  the  ear,  and  overpowered  all  the  other 
varied  voices,  which  were  by  this  time  too  numerous  to 
be  separately  distinguished,  but  which  all  helped  to  swell 
the  morning  concert  of  woodland  music. 

A  traveller  in  the  mountain-regions  of  Venezuela  has 
described  in  the  following  words  his  own  experience  of  a 
similar  scene : — 

"  That  morning's  moonlight  ride  along  the  summits  of 
the  Sierra  of  Las  Cocuyzas,  was  certainly  one  of  the  most 
enjoyable  I  ever  remember.  It  was  almost  like  magic, 
when,  as  the  sun  began  to  approach  the  horizon,  the  per- 
fect stillness  of  the  forests  beneath  was  gradually  broken 
by  the  occasional  note  of  some  early  riser  of  the  winged 
tribe,  till,  at  length,  as  the  day  itself  began  to  break,  the 
whole  forest  seemed  to  be  suddenly  warmed  into  life,  send- 
ing forth  choir  after  choir  of  gorgeous-plumaged  songsters, 
each  after  his  own  manner  to  swell  the  chorus  of  greeting 
(a  discordant  one,  I  fear  it  must  be  owned)  to  the  glorious 
sun ;  and  when,  as  the  increasing  light  enabled  you  to 
see  down  into  the  misty  valleys  beneath,  there  were  dis- 


SUNEISE  IN  THE  OTJEAL.  19 

played  to  our  enchanted  gaze  zones  of  fertility,  embracing 
almost  every  species  of  tree  and  flower  that  flourishes 
between  the  Tierra  Caliente  and  the  regions  of  perpetual 
snow.  It  certainly  was  a  view  of  almost  unequalled 
magnificence.  Riding  amongst  apple  and  peach-trees  that 
might  have  belonged  to  an  English  orchard,  and  on 
whose  branches  we  almost  expected  to  see  the  blackbird 
and  the  chaffinch ;  while  a  few  hundred  yards  below, 
parrots  and  macaws,  monkeys  and  mocking-birds,  were 
sporting  among  the  palms  and  tree-ferns,  and,  in  flights 
of  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  chasing  each  other  from 
the  climate  of  the  torrid  to  that  of  the  temperate  zone, 
was  not  the  least  striking  part  of  the  scene/'  * 

I  cannot  avoid  quoting  from  Mr  Atkinson  a  picture  of 
day-break,  as  seen  across  the  plains  of  Siberia  from  one 
of  the  peaks  of  the  Oural ;  though  its  details  scarcely 
bring  it  within  the  limits  of  natural  history  proper : — 

"  Day  was  rapidly  dawning  over  these  boundless 
forests  of  Siberia.  Long  lines  of  pale  yellow  clouds 
extended  over  the  horizon ;  these  became  more  luminous 
every  few  minutes,  until  at  length  they  were  like  waves 
of  golden  light  rolling  and  breaking  on  some  celestial 
shore.  I  roused  up  my  fellow-traveller  that  he  might 
partake  with  me  in  my  admiration  of  the  scene,  and  a 
most  splendid  one  it  was.  The  sun  was  rising  behind 
some  very  distant  hills,  and  tipping  all  the  mountain- 
tops  with  his  glorious  rays  :  even  the  dark  pines  assumed 
*  Sullivan's  Rambles  in  North  and  South  America,  p.  395. 


20  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

a  golden  hue.  We  sat  silently  watching  the  beautifully 
changing  scene  for  an  hour,  until  hill  and  valley  were 
lighted  up/'  * 

Cowper  has  selected  "The  Winter  Walk  at  Noon"  for 
one  of  the  books  of  his  charming  "  Task ; "  and  as  nihil 
quod  tetigit  non  ornavit,  so  he  has  sketched  a  beautiful 
picture : — 

"  Upon  the  southern  side  of  the  slant  hills, 
And  where  the  woods  fence  off  the  northern  blast, 
The  season  smiles,  resigning  all  its  rage, 
And  has  the  warmth  of  May.     The  vault  is  blue, 
Without  a  cloud,  and  white  without  a  speck 
The  dazzling  splendour  of  the  scene  below. 

No  noise  is  here,  or  none  that  hinders  thought. 
The  redbreast  warbles  still,  but  is  content 
With  slender  notes,  and  more  than  half  suppress'd : 
Pleased  with  his  solitude,  and  flitting  light 
From  spray  to  spray,  where'er  he  rests  he  shakes 
From  many  a  twig  the  pendant  drops  of  ice, 
That  tinkle  in  the  wither'd  leaves  below." 

But  how  different  from  such  a  scene  is  a  tropical  noon 
— a  noon  in  Guiana,  or  Brazil,  for  example  !  There,  too, 
an  almost  death-like  quietude  reigns,  but  it  is  a  quietude 
induced  by  the  furnace-like  heat  of  the  vertical  sun, 
whose  rays  pour  down  with  a  direct  fierceness,  from 
which  there  is  no  shadow  except  actually  beneath  some 
thick  tree,  such  as  the  mango,  whose  dense  and  dark 
foliage  affords  an  absolutely  impenetrable  umbrella  in  the 
brightest  glare.  Such,  too,  is  the  smooth-barked  manga- 
beira,  a  tree  of  vast  bulk,  with  a  wide-spreading  head  of 

*  Atkinson's  Siberia,  p.  59. 


NOON  IN  A  BRAZILIAN  FOREST.  21 

dense  foliage,  beneath  which,  when  the  sun  strikes  merci- 
lessly on  every  other  spot,  all  is  coolness  and  repose. 
The  birds  are  all  silent,  sitting  with  panting  beaks  in  the 
thickest  foliage ;  no  tramp  or  voice  of  beast  is  heard,  for 
these  are  sleeping  in  their  coverts.  Ever  and  anon  the 
seed-capsule  of  some  forest-tree  bursts  with  a  report  like 
that  of  a  musket,  and  the  scattered  seeds  are  heard  patter- 
ing among  the  leaves,  and  then  all  relapses  into  silence 
again.  Great  butterflies,  with  wings  of  refulgent  azure, 
almost  too  dazzling  to  look  upon,  flap  lazily  athwart  the 
glade,  or  alight  on  the  glorious  flowers.  Little  bright- 
eyed  lizards,  clad  in  panoply  that  glitters  in  the  sun, 
creep  about  the  parasites  of  the  great  trees,  or  rustle  the 
herbage,  and  start  at  the  sounds  themselves  have  made. 
Hark !  There  is  the  toll  of  a  distant  bell.  Two  or  three 
minutes  pass, — another  toll !  a  like  interval,  then  another 
toll!  Surely  it  is  the  passing  bell  of  some  convent, 
announcing  the  departure  of  a  soul.  No  such  thing ;  it 
is  the  note  of  a  bird.  It  is  the  campanero  or  bell-bird  of 
the  Amazon,  a  gentle  little  creature,  much  like  a  snow- 
white  pigeon,  with  a  sort  of  soft  fleshy  horn  on  its  fore- 
head, three  inches  high.  This  appendage  is  black, 
clothed  with  a  few  scattered  white  feathers,  and  being 
hollow  and  communicating  with  the  palate,  it  can  be 
inflated  at  will.  The  solemn  clear  bell-note,  uttered  at 
regular  intervals  by  the  bird,  is  believed  to  be  connected 
with  this  structure.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  silvery  sound, 
heard  only  in  the  depth  of  the  forest,  and  scarcely  ever 
except  at  midday,  when  other  voices  are  mute,  falls  upon 


22  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

the  ear  of  the  traveller  with  a  thrilling  and  romantic 
effect.  The  jealously  recluse  habits  of  the  bird  have 
thrown  an  air  of  mystery  over  its  economy,  which 
heightens  the  interest  with  which  it  is  invested. 

Before  I  speak  of  night,  the  most  romantic  of  all  sea- 
sons to  the  naturalist,  I  must  quote  two  descriptions  of 
sunset  in  regions  rarely  visited  by  English  travellers.  The 
first  scene  was  witnessed  from  that  rugged  mountain-chain 
which  divides  two  quarters  of  the  globe.  We  have  just 
looked  at  the  rising  sun  from  the  same  peaks,  gazing 
across  the  plains  of  Asia:  we  are  now  called  to  look 
over  Europe. 

"  I  now  turned  towards  the  west,  and  walked  to  a  high 
crag  overlooking  the  valley;  here  I  seated  myself  to 
watch  the  great  and  fiery  orb  descend  below  the  horizon ; 
and  a  glorious  sight  it  was  !  Pavda,  with  its  snowy  cap, 
was  lighted  up,  and  sparkled  like  a  ruby ;  the  other 
mountains  were  tinged  with  red,  while  in  the  deep 
valleys  all  was  gloom  and  mist.  For  a  few  minutes  the 
whole  atmosphere  appeared  filled  with  powdered  carmine, 
giving  a  deep  crimson  tint  to  everything  around.  So 
splendid  was  this  effect,  and  so  firm  a  hold  had  it  taken 
of  my  imagination,  that  I  became  insensible  to  the  hun- 
dreds of  mosquitoes  that  were  feasting  on  my  blood. 
Excepting  their  painfully  disagreeable  hum,  no  sound, 
not  even  the  chirping  of  a  bird,  was  to  be  heard :  it  was 
truly  solitude. 

"  Soon  after  the  sun  went  down,  a  white  vapour  began 
to  rise  in  the  valleys  to  a  considerable  height,  giving  to 


SUNSET  IN  SIBERIA.  23 

the  scene  an  appearance  of  innumerable  lakes  studded 
with  islands,  as  all  the  mountain-tops  looked  dark  and 
black.  I  was  so  riveted  to  the  spot  by  the  scene  before 
me,  that  I  remained  watching  the  changes  until  nearly 
eleven  o'clock,  when  that  peculiar  twilight  seen  in  these 
regions  stole  gently  over  mountain  and  forest.  The  effect 
I  cannot  well  describe — it  appeared  to  partake  largely  of 
the  spiritual."1 

The  other  sketch  is  by  the  same  accomplished  traveller, 
drawn  in  a  mountain  region  still  more  majestically  grand 
than  the  Oural, — the  great  Altaian  chain  of  Central 
Asia. 

"  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  to  the  westward  ten  or 
twelve  versts,  which  afforded  me  a  fine  view  of  the 
beautiful  scenery  on  and  beyond  the  Bouchtaima  river. 
The  effect  of  this  scene  was  magnificent ;  as  the  sun  was 
sinking  immediately  behind  one  of  the  high  conical 
mountains,  I  beheld  the  great  fiery  orb  descend  nearly 
over  the  centre  of  this  mighty  cone,  presenting  a  singular 
appearance.  Presently  its  long  deep  shadow  crept  over 
the  lower  hills,  and  soon  extended  far  into  the  plain,  till 
at  length  the  place  on  which  I  stood  received  its  cold 
gray  tone.  The  mountains  to  the  right  and  left  were 
still  shining  in  his  golden  light ;  the  snowy  peaks  of  the 
Cholsoum  appearing  like  frosted  silver  cut  out  against 
the  clear  blue  sky.  Gradually  the  shades  of  evening 
crept  up  the  mountain-sides ;  one  bright  spot  after 
another  vanished,  until  at  length  all  was  in  shadowy  gray, 

*  Atkinson's  Siberia,  p  57- 


24  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

except  the  snowy  peaks.  As  the  sun  sank  lower,  a  pale 
rose  tint  spread  over  their  snowy  mantles,  deepening  to  a 
light  crimson,  and  then  a  darker  tone  when  the  highest 
shone  out,  as  sparkling  as  a  ruby ;  and  at  last,  for  only  a 
few  minutes,  it  appeared  like  a  crimson  star/'  * 

We  come  back  from  scenes  so  gorgeous,  to  quiet,  homely 
England.  How  pleasant  to  the  schoolboy,  just  infected 
with  the  entomological  mania,  is  an  evening  hour  in  June 
devoted  to  "  mothing  !  "  An  hour  before  sunset  he  had 
been  seen  mysteriously  to  leave  home,  carrying  a  cup 
filled  with  a  mixture  of  beer  and  treacle.  With  this  he 
had  bent  his  steps  to  the  edge  of  a  wood,  and  with  a 
painter's  brush  had  bedaubed  the  trunks  of  several  large 
trees,  much  to  the  bewilderment  of  the  woodman  and  his 
dog.  Now  the  sun  is  going  down  like  a  glowing  coal 
behind  the  hill,  and  the  youthful  savant  again  seeks  the 
scene  of  his  labours,  armed  with  insect-net,  pill-boxes, 
and  a  bull's-eye  lantern.  He  pauses  in  the  high-hedged 
lane,  for  the  bats  are  evidently  playing  a  successful  game 
here,  and  the  tiny  gray  moths  are  fluttering  in  and  out  of 
the  hedge  by  scores.  Watchfully  now  he  holds  the  net ; 
there  is  one  whose  hue  betokens  a  prize.  Dash  ! — yes ! 
it  is  in  the  muslin  bag;  and,  on  holding  it  up  against 
the  western  sky,  he  sees  he  has  got  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  small  moths, — the  "butterfly  emerald/' 
Yonder  is  a  white  form  dancing  backward  and  forward 
with  regular  oscillation  in  the  space  of  a  yard,  close  over 
the  herbage.  That  must  be  the  "  ghost-moth/'  surely  ! — • 
*  Atkinson's  Siberia,  p.  221. 


MOTH-HUNTING.  2f> 

the  very  same  ;  and  this  is  secured.  Presently  there  comes 
rushing  down  the  lane,  with  headlong  speed,  one  far  larger 
than  the  common  set,  and  visible  from  afar  by  its  white- 
ness. Prepare !  Now  strike !  This  prize,  too,  is  won — 
the  "  swallow-tail  moth,"  a  cream-coloured  species,  the 
noblest  and  most  elegant  of  its  tribe  Britain  can  boast. 

But  now  the  west  is  fading  to  a  ruddy  brown,  and  the 
stars  are  twinkling  overhead.  He  forsakes  the  lane,  and 
with  palpitating  heart  stands  before  one  of  the  sugared 
trees.  The  light  of  his  lantern  is  flashed  full  on  the 
trunk ;  there  are  at  least  a  dozen  flutterers  playing 
around  the  temptation,  and  two  or  three  are  comfortably 
settled  down  and  sucking  away.  Most  of  them  are  mean- 
looking,  gray  affairs ;  but  stay !  what  is  this  approaching, 
with  its  ten  patches  of  rosy  white  on  its  olive  wings  ? 
The  lovely  "peach-blossom,"  certainly:  and  now  a  pill- 
box is  over  it,  and  it  is  safely  incarcerated.  He  moves 
cautiously  to  another  tree.  That  tiny  little  thing,  sitting 
so  fearlessly,  is  the  beautiful  "  yellow  underwing,"  a  sweet 
little  creature,  and  somewhat  of  a  rarity  ;  this  is  secured. 
And  now  comes  a  dazzling  thing,  the  "  burnished  brass," 
its  wings  gleaming  with  metallic  refulgence  in  the  lamp- 
light ;  but  (0  in  fortunate  puer  /)  a  nimble  bat  is  before- 
hand with  you,  and  snaps  up  the  glittering  prize  before 
your  eyes,  dropping  the  brilliant  wings  on  the  ground  for 
your  especial  tantalisation.  Well,  never  mind  !  the  bat  is 
an  entomologist,  too,  and  he  is  out  mothing  as  well  as 
you  ;  therefore  allow  him  his  chance.  Here  is  the  "  copper 
underwing,"  that  seems  so  unsuspicious  that  nothing 


23  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

appears  easier  than  to  box  it ;  but,  lo !  just  when  the  tra^i 
is  over  it,  it  glides  slily  to  one  side,  and  leaves  you  in  the 
lurch.  But  what  is  this  moth  of  commanding  size  and 
splendid  beauty,  its  Mnd  wings  of  the  most  glowing  crim- 
son, like  a  fiery  coal,  bordered  with  black  ?  Ha  !  the 
lovely  "  bride  ! "  If  you  can  net  her,  you  have  a  beauty. 
A  steady  hand !  a  sure  eye  !  Yes  ! — fairly  bagged !  And 
now  you  may  contentedly  go  home  through  the  dewy 
lanes,  inhaling  the  perfume  of  the  thorn  and  clematis, 
watching  the  twinkle  of  the  lowly  glowworms,  and 
listening  to  the  melody  of  the  wakeful  nightingales. 

It  is  always  interesting  to  compare  with  our  own  expe- 
rience pictures  of  parallel  scenes  and  seasons  in  other  and 
diverse  lands,  drawn  by  those  who  had  an  open  eye  for  the 
poetical  and  beautiful  in  nature,  though  not  in  all  cases 
strictly  naturalists.  Here  is  a  night  scene  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Niesen,  a  peak  of  the  Central  Alps,  nearly  8000 
feet  above  the  sea  level : — 

"  I  would  gladly  give  my  reader  an  idea  of  the  solemn 
scenery  of  these  elevated  regions,  during  the  calm  hours 
of  a  summer  night.  As  to  sounds  they  are  but  few ;  at 
least,  when  the  air  is  still.  The  vicinity  of  man,  pro- 
ductive in  general  of  anything  but  repose,  has  caused 
almost  profound  silence  to  reign  among  these  wilds, 
where  once  the  cautious  tread  of  the  bear  rustled  nightly 
among  the  dry  needles  of  the  pine  forest,  and  the  howl  of 
the  wolf  re-echoed  from  the  waste.  As  I  stood  upon  an 
elevated  knoll  wide  of  the  chalet,  through  whose  inter- 
stices gleamed  the  fire  over  which  my  companions  were 


NIGHT  IN  JAMAICA.  2? 

amusing  themselves,  my  ear  was  struck  from  time  to 
time  by  an  abrupt  and  indistinct  sound  from  the  upper 
parts  of  the  mountain  ;  probably  caused  by  the  crumbling 
rock,  or  the  fall  of  rubbish  brought  down  by  the  cascades. 
An  equally  dubious  and  sudden  sound  would  occasionally 
rise  from  the  deep  valley  beneath ;  but  else  nothing  fell 
upon  the  ear,  but  the  monotonous  murmur  of  the  mountain 
torrent  working  its  way  over  stock  and  rock  in  the  depth 
of  the  ravine.  The  moon  barely  lighted  up  the  wide 
pastures  sufficiently  to  distinguish  their  .  extent  or  the 
objects  sprinkled  upon  them.  Here  and  there  a  tall  bark- 
less  pine  stood  conspicuously  forward  on  the  verge  of  the 
dark  belt  of  forest,  with  its  bleached  trunk  and  fantastic 
branches  glistening  in  the  moonshine."  * 

I  have  noticed  the  peculiar  silence  of  a  mountain 
summit  by  night  in  the  tropics,  and  this  far  more  absolute 
and  striking  than  that  alluded  to  by  Latrobe.  I  was 
spending  a  night  in  a  lonely  house  on  one  of  the  Liguanea 
mountains  in  Jamaica,  and  was  impressed  with  the  very 
peculiar  stillness ;  such  a  total  absence  of  sounds  as  1  had 
never  experienced  before :  no  running  water  was  near ; 
there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  ;  no  bird  or  reptile  moved  ; 
no  insect  hummed ;  it  was  an  oppressive  stillness,  as  if 
the  silence  could  be  felt. 

But  at  lower  levels  in  tropical  countries  night  is  not 
characterised  by  silence.  Strange  and  almost  unearthly 
sounds  strike  the  ear  of  one  benighted  in  the  forests  of 
Jamaica.  Some  of  these  are  the  voices  of  nocturnal 

*  Latrobe's  Alpenstock,  p.  135. 


28  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

birds,  the  rapid  articulations  of  the  nightjars,  the  mono- 
tonous hoot,  or  shriek,  or  wail  of  the  owls,  the  loud 
impatient  screams  of  the  Aramus.  But  besides  these, 
there  are  some  which  are  produced  by  reptiles.  The 
gecko  creeps  stealthy  and  cat-like  from  his  hollow  tree,  and 
titters  his  harsh  cackle ;  and  other  lizards  are  believed  to 
add  to  the  concert  of  squeaks  and  cries.  And  then  there 
come  from  the  depth  of  the  forest-glooms  sounds  like  the 
snoring  of  an  oppressed  sleeper,  but  louder;  or  like  the 
groaning  and  working  of  a  ship's  timbers  in  a  heavy  gale 
at  sea.  These  are  produced  by  great  tree-frogs,  of  uncouth 
form,  which  love  to  reside  in  the  sheathing  leaves  of  para- 
sitic plants,  always  half  full  of  cool  water.  These  reptiles 
are  rarely  seen  ;  but  the  abundance  and  universality  of  the 
sounds,  in  the  lower  mountain-woods,  prove  how  nume- 
rous they  must  be.  Occasionally  I  have  heard  other 
strange  sounds,  as,  in  particular,  one  lovely  night  in  June, 
when  lodging  at  a  little  lone  cottage  on  a  mountain- 
side, in  the  midst  of  the  woods.  About  midnight,  as  I 
sat  at  the  open  window,  there  came  up  from  every  part  of 
the  moonlit  forest  below,  with  incessant  pertinacity,  a  clear 
shrill  note,  so  like  the  voice  of  a  bird,  and  specially  so  like 
that  of  the  solemn  solitaire,  that  it  might  easily  be  mis- 
taken for  it,  but  for  the  inappropriate  hour,  and  the 
locality.  Like  that  charming  bird-voice,  it  was  beauti- 
fully trilled  or  shaken ;  and  like  it,  the  individual  voices 
were  not  in  the  same  key.  Listening  to  the  mingled 
sounds,  I  could  distinguish  two  particularly  prominent, 
which  seemed  to  answer  each  other  in  quick  but  regular 


TROPICAL  NIGHT-SOUNDS.  29 

alternation  ;  and  between  their  notes,  there  was  the  differ- 
ence of  exactly  a  musical  tone. 

Darwin  speaks  of  the  nocturnal  sounds  at  Rio  Janeiro  : 
— "  After  the  hotter  days,  it  was  delicious  to  sit  quietly  in 
the  garden,  and  watch  the  evening  pass  into  night. 
Nature,  in  these  climes,  chooses  her  vocalists  from  more 
humble  performers  than  in  Europe.  A  small  frog  of  the 
genus  Hyla  \i.  e.,  of  the  family  Hyladce,  the  tree-frogs 
already  alluded  to],  sits  on  a  blade  of  grass  about  an  inch 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  sends  forth  a  pleasing 
chirp ;  when  several  are  together,  they  sing  in  harmony 

on  different  notes Various  cicadse  and  crickets  at 

the  same  time  keep  up  a  ceaseless  shrill  cry,  but  which, 
softened  by  the  distance,  is  not  unpleasant.  Every  even- 
ing, after  dark,  this  great  concert  commenced ;  and  often 
have  I  sat  listening  to  it,  until  my  attention  has  been 
drawn  away  by  some  curious  passing  insect/'  * 

Edwards,  in  his  very  interesting  voyage  up  the  Amazon, 
heard  one  night  a  bell-like  note,  which  he  eagerly  con- 
cluded to  be  the  voice  of  the  famed  bell-bird.  But  on 
asking  his  Indian  attendants  what  it  was  that  was 
"  gritando,"  he  was  told  that  it  was  a  toad, — "  everything 
that  sings  by  night  is  a  toad  ! " 

I  doubt  much  whether  the  voice  first  referred  to  in  the 
following  extract  ought  not  to  be  referred  to  the  same 
reptilian  agency: — 

"  During  our  ride  home,  [in  Tobago,]  I  was  startled  by 
hearing  what  I  fully  imagined  was  the  whistle  of  a  steam- 

*  Naturalist's  Voyage,  (ed.  1852,)  p.  29. 


30  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

engine ;  but  I  was  informed  it  was  a  noise  caused  by  a 
beetle  that  is  peculiar  to  Tobago.  It  is  nearly  the  size 
of  a  man's  hand,  and  fixing  itself  against  a  tree,  it  com- 
mences a  kind  of  drumming  noise,  which  gradually 
quickens  to  a  whistle,  and  at  length  increases  in  shrillness 
and  intensity,  till  it  almost  equals  a  railroad-whistle.  It 
was  so  loud  that,  when  standing  full  twenty  yards  from 
the  tree  where  it  was  in  operation,  the  sound  was  so 
shrill,  that  you  had  to  raise  your  voice  considerably  to 
address  your  neighbour.  The  entomological  productions 
of  the  tropics  struck  me  as  being  quite  as  astonishing  in 
size  and  nature  as  the  botanical  or  zoological  wonders. 
There  is  another  beetle,  called  the  razor-grinder,  that 
imitates  the  sound  of  a  knife-grinding  machine  so  exactly, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  divest  one's  self  of  the  belief  that 
one  is  in  reality  listening  to  some  '  needy  knife-grinder/ 
who  has  wandered  out  to  the  tropical  wilds  on  spec." ' 

This  latter  was  pretty  certainly  not  a  beetle  proper,  but 
a  Cicada,"^  an  insect  of  another  order ;  remarkable  for 
its  musical  powers,  even  from  the  times  of  classical  an- 
tiquity. These  are  doubtless  sexual  sounds  ;  the  sere- 
nades of  the  wooing  cavaliers,  who,  as  Mr  Kirby  humor- 
ously says, — 

"Formosam  resonare  decent  Amaryllida  sylvas." 

A  friend  who  has  resided  in  Burmah  informs  me  that 

*  Sullivan's  Rambles  in  North  and  South  America,  p.  307. 
f  Dr  Hancock  has  made  out  the  "razor-grinder"  of  Surinam  to  be 
the  Cicada  dariwna,. 


NIGHT- VOICES  IN  GUIANA.  31 

there  at  midnight  the  stranger  is  often  startled  by  the 
loud  voice  of  a  species  of  gecko,  which  is  frequently 
found  in  the  houses.  Its  cry  is  exceedingly  singular,  and 
resembles  the  word  "  tooktay,"  pronounced  clearly  and  dis- 
tinctly as  if  spoken  by  a  human  tongue.  It  is  a  source 
of  much  alarm  to  the  natives  of  India  who  accompany 
Europeans  to  that  country ;  as  they  believe  that  the  bite 
of  the  little  lizard  is  invariably  fatal. 

None  of  these  sounds  can  compare  in  terrible  effect 
with  the  deafening  howls  that  penetrate  the  forests  of 
Guiana  after  night  has  fallen, — the  extraordinary  vocal 
performances  of  the  alouattes  or  howling-monkeys.  They 
go  in  troops,  and  utter  their  piercing  cries,  which  Hum- 
boldt  affirms  can  be  heard  in  a  clear  atmosphere  at  the 
distance  of  two  miles,  in  a  strange  concord,  which  seems 
the  result  of  discipline,  and  incomparably  augments  the 
effect.  The  same  traveller  informs  us  that  occasionally 
the  voices  of  othei  animals  are  added  to  the  concert ;  the 
roarings  of  the  jaguar  and  puma,  and  the  shrill  cries 
of  alarmed  birds.  "It  is  not  always  in  a  fine  moon- 
light, but  more  particularly  at  the  time  of  storms  and 
violent  showers,  that  this  tumult  among  the  wild  beasts 
occurs." 

I  linger  on  these  tropical  pictures,  where  nature  ap- 
pears under  aspects  so  different  from  those  of  our  clime. 
Here  is  another  on  the  Amazon  : — "  No  clouds  obscured 
the  sky,  and  the  millions  of  starry  lights,  that  in  this 
clime  render  the  moon's  absence  of  little  consequence, 
were  shining  upon  us  in  their  calm,  still  beauty.  The 


32  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

stream  where  we  were  anchored  was  narrow ;  tall  trees 
drooped  over  the  water,  or  mangroves  shot  out  their  long 
finger-like  branches  into  the  mud  below.  Huge  bats 
were  skimming  past ;  night-birds  were  calling  in  strange 
voices  from  the  tree-tops ;  fire-flies  darted  their  mimic 
lightnings  ;  fishes  leaped  above  the  surface,  flashing  in  the 
starlight ;  the  deep,  sonorous  baying  of  frogs  came  up  from 
distant  marshes  ;  and  loud  plashings  inshore  suggested  all 
sorts  of  nocturnal  monsters/'* 

Yet  another,  by  the  same  pleasant  writer,  on  the  banks 
of  the  same  mighty  river  : — "  The  flowers  that  bloomed 
by  day  have  closed  their  petals,  and,  nestled  in  their  leafy 
beds,  are  dreaming  of  their  loves.  A  sister  host  now  take 
their  place,  making  the  breezes  to  intoxicate  with  per- 
fume, and  exacting  homage  from  bright,  starry  eyes.  A 
murmur,  as  of  gentle  voices,  floats  upon  the  air.  The 
moon  darts  down  her  glittering  rays,  till  the  flower- 
enamelled  plain  glistens  like  a  shield;  but  in  vain  she 
strives  to  penetrate  the  denseness,  except  some  fallen  tree 
betrays  a  passage.  Below,  the  tall  tree-trunk  rises  dimly 
through  the  darkness.  Huge  moths,  those  fairest  of  the 
insect  world,  have  taken  the  places  of  the  butterflies,  and 
myriads  of  fire-flies  never  weary  in  their  torchlight  dance. 
Far  down  the  road  comes  on  a  blaze,  steady,  streaming 
like  a  meteor.  It  whizzes  past,  and  for  an  instant  the 
space  is  illumined,  and  dewy  jewels  from  the  leaves  throw 
back  the  radiance.  It  is.  the  lantern-fly,  seeking  what  he 
himself  knows  best,  by  the  fiery  guide  upon  his  head. 

*  Edwards's  Voyage  up  the  Amazon,  p.  27. 


NIGHT  IN  AFRICA.  33 

The  air  of  the  night-bird's  wing  fans  your  cheek,  or  you 
are  startled  by  his  mournful  note,  '  wac-o-row,  wac-o-row/ 
sounding  dolefully — by  no  means  so  pleasantly  as  our 
whip-poor-will.  The  armadillo  creeps  carelessly  from  his 
hole,  and,  at  slow  place,  makes  for  his  feeding  ground ; 
the  opossum  climbs  stealthily  up  the  tree,  and  the  little 
ant-eater  is  out  pitilessly  marauding."* 

Dr  Livingstone  has  sketched  the  following  pleasing 
picture  of  a  midnight  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa ;  but 
romantic  as  the  region  is,  it  lacks  the  gorgeousiiess  of 
the  South  American  forest : — 

"We  were  close  to  the  reeds,  and  could  listen  to  the 
strange  sounds  which  we  often  heard  there.  By  day  I 
had  seen  water-snakes  putting  up  their  heads  and  swim- 
ming about.  There  were  great  numbers  of  others,  which 
had  made  little  spoors  all  over  the  plains  in  search  of  the 
fishes,  among  the  tall  grass  of  these  flooded  prairies  ; 
curious  birds,  too,  jerked  and  wriggled  among  these  reedy 
masses,  and  we  heard  human-like  voices  and  unearthly 
sounds,  with  splash,  guggle,  jupp,  as  if  rare  fun  were 
going  on  in  their  uncouth  haunts.  At  one  time,  some- 
thing came  near  us,  making  a  splashing  like  that  of  a 
canoe  or  hippopotamus :  thinking  it  to  be  the  Makololo, 
we  got  up,  listened,  and  shouted ;  then  discharged  a  gun 
several  times,  but  the  noise  continued  without  intermission 
for  an  hour."-|- 

If  the  sounds  of  night  possess  a  romantic  interest  for. 

*  Edwards's  Voyage  up  the  Amazon,  p.  30. 
•(•  Livingstone's  Africa,  p.  107. 
C 


3,4  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

the  naturalist,  so  do  those  animal  flames  with  which  it  is 
illuminated, — 

"  Stars  of  the  earth,  and  diamonds  of  the  night." 

Mr  Kirby,  the  jnost  accomplished  of  entomologists, 
speaks  in  rapturous  terms  of  our  own  homely  little  glow- 
worm. "  If,"  says  he,  "  living,  like  me,  in  a  district  where 
it  is  rarely  met  with,  the  first  time  you  saw  this  insect 
chanced  to  be,  as  it  was  in  my  case,  one  of  those  delight- 
ful evenings  which  an  English  summer  seldom  yields, 
when  not  a  breeze  disturbs  the  balmy  air,  and  '  every 
sense  is  joy,'  and  hundreds  of  these  radiant  worms,  stud- 
ding their  mossy  couch  with  wild  effulgence,  were  pre- 
sented to  your  wondering  eye  in  the  course  of  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,— you  could  not  help  associating  with  the  name 
of  glow-worm  the  most  pleasing  recollections."  * 

It  is,  however,  in  America  that  these  "  diamonds  of  the 
night"  are  observed  to  advantage.  In  Canada  I  have 
seen  the  whole  air,  for  a  few  yards  above  the  surface  of  a 
large  field,  completely  filled  with  fire-flies  on  the  wing, 
thicker  than  stars  on  a  winter's  night.  The  light  is 
redder,  more  candle-like,  than  that  of  our  glow-worm,  and, 
being  in  each  individual  alternately  emitted  and  concealed, 
and  each  of  the  million  tiny  flames  performing  its  part  in 
mazy  aerial  dance,  the  spectacle  was  singularly  beautiful. 

A  sight  in  every  respect  similar,  though  doubtless  de- 
pendent on  a  different  species,  occurred  to  me  in  ascend- 
ing the  river  Alabama  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  As  the 
steamer  passed  booming  along  under  the  shadow  of  night, 

*  introduction  to  Entomology.     Letter  xxv. 


FIRE-FLIES.  35 

the  broad  belt  of  reeds  which  margined  the  river  was 
thronged  with  myriads  of  dancing  gleams,  and  the  air  was 
filled  with  what  looked  like  thousands  of  shooting  stars. 

Beautiful,  however,  as  these  spectacles  were,  I  had  not 
known  what  insects  could  effect  in  the  way  of  illumi- 
nation till  I  visited  Jamaica.  There,  in  the  gorgeous 
night  of  a  tropical  forest,  I  saw  them  in  their  glory.  In 
the  glades  and  dells  that  open  here  and  there  from  a 
winding  mountain-road  cut  through  the  tall  woods,  I  have 
delighted  to  linger  and  see  the  magnificent  gloom  lighted 
up  by  multitudes  of  fire-flies  of  various  species,  peculiari- 
ties in  whose  luminosity — of  colour,  intensity,  and  inter- 
mittence — enabled  me  to  distinguish  each  from  others.  I 
delighted  to  watch  and  study  their  habits  in  these  lonely 
spots,  while  the  strange  sounds,  snorings,  screeches,  and 
ringings  of  nocturnal  reptiles  and  insects,  already  de- 
scribed, were  coming  up  from  every  part  of  the  deep  forest 
around,  imparting  to  the  scene  a  character  which  seemed 
as  if  it  would  suit  the  weird  hunter  of  German  fable. 

There  are  two  kinds  in  particular,  of  larger  size  than 
usual,  which  are  very  conspicuous.  One  of  these  *  is 
more  vagrant  than  the  other,  shooting  about  with  a 
headlong  flight,  and  rarely  observed  in  repose.  Its  light 
appears  of  a  rich  orange  hue  when  seen  abroad ;  but  it 
frequently  flies  in  at  open  windows,  and,  when  examined 
under  candle-light,  its  luminosity  is  yellow :  when  held 
in  the  fingers,  the  light  is  seen  to  fill  the  hinder  part  of 
the  body  with  dazzling  effulgence,  which  intermits  its 

*  Pyyolampis  xantliophotis. 


36  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

intensity.  The  other*  is  more  commonly  noticed  rest- 
ing on  a  twig  or  leaf,  where  it  gradually  increases  the 
intensity  of  its  light  till  it  glows  like  a  torch;  then  as 
gradually,  it  allows  it  to  fade  to  a  spark,  and  become  ex- 
tinct ;  in  about  a  minute,  however,  it  begins  to  appear 
again,  and  gradually  increases  to  its  former  blaze ;  then 
fades  again :  strongly  reminding  the  beholder  of  a  revolv- 
ing light  at  sea.  The  hue  of  this  is  a  rich  yellow-green ; 
and  sometimes  a  rover  of  the  former  species  will  arrest 
its  course,  and,  approaching  one  of  these  on  a  leaf,  will 
play  around  it,  when  the  intermingling  of  the  orange  and 
green  lights  has  a  most  charming  effect. 

In  the  lowland  pastures  of  the  same  beauteous  island, 
there  is  another  insect  •(•  abundant,  of  much  larger  dimen- 
sions, which  displays  both  red  and  green  light.  On  the 
upper  surface  of  the  thorax,  there  are  two  oval  tubercles, 
hard  and  transparent,  like  "  bull's-eye "  lights  let  into  a 
ship's  deck ;  these  are  windows  out  of  which  shines  a 
vivid  green  luminousness,  which  appears  to  fill  the  interior 
of  the  chest.  Then  on  the  under  surface  of  the  body,  at 
the  base  of  the  abdomen,  there  is  a  transverse  orifice  in 
the  shelly  skin,  covered  with  a  delicate  membrane,  which 
glows  with  a  strong  ruddy  light,  visible,  however,  only 
when  the  wing-cases  are  expanded.  During  the  dark 
nights  it  is  most  interesting  to  mark  these  large  beetles 
flying  along  over  the  herbage  at  the  edges  of  the  woods 
and  in  the  pastures :  the  red  glare,  like  that  of  a  lamp, 
alternately  flashing  upon  the  beholder  and  concealed, 

*  Photaris  i'ci\icolor. 


FIEE-FLIES.  37 

according  as  the  insect  turns  its  body  in  flight,  but  the 
ruddy  reflection  on  the  grass  beneath  being  constantly 
visible,  as  the  animal  leisurely  pursues  its  course.  Now 
and  then  the  green  light  from  the  upper  "bull's-eye," 
which  seems  to  be  under  the  insect's  control,  is  displayed, 
and  then  again  the  mingling  of  the  two  complementary 
colours,  red  and  green,  in  the  evolutions  of  flight,  is  in- 
describably beautiful. 

I  have  gazed  upon  these  changing  lights,  flitting  here 
and  there  in  the  openings  of  the  dense  forest,  during  the 
stillness  of  the  night,  till  I  could  scarcely  divest  myself  of 
the  persuasion  that  human  intelligence  and  human  will 
were  concerned  in  their  production.  Thoughts  of  the 
once  happy  Indians,  that  enjoyed  a  simple  life  in  these 
charming  glades  before  Columbus  discovered  their  re- 
treats, would  then  crowd  up ;  and  it  required  but  little 
imagination  to  fancy  myself  surrounded  by  hundreds  of 
the  aborigines,  holding  their  revels  under  the  coolness  of 
the  night-season,  as  of  old. 


II. 

HARMONIES. 

MODERN  science  has  shewn  that  animals  and  plants  arc 
not  scattered  promiscuously  over  the  world,  but  placed 
in  spheres  according  to  well-defined  laws.  A  few  kinds 
seem,  indeed,  cosmopolitan,  but  the  great  majority  have 
a  limited  range,  each  inhabiting  its  own  region,  and  each, 
in  very  many  cases,  replaced  in  other  similar  regions  by 
species  more  or  less  closely  allied  and  yet  distinct.  And 
more  than  this ;  that  there  are  predominant  forms  of  life 
in  every  region,  so  entirely  governing  the  physiognomy  of 
the  landscape,  that  an  accomplished  naturalist,  on  being 
suddenly  set  down  in  any  part  of  the  earth's  surface, 
would  instantly  tell  in  what  region  he  was,  by  an  examina- 
tion of  a  few  plants  or  animals. 

The  statistics  on  which  this  science  of  the  geogra- 
phical distribution  of  life  is  built  up  do  not  come 
within  my  present  scope,  which  is  to  present  the  poetic 
side  of  nature ;  but  there  is  a  collateral  aspect  of  the 
same  truths  worthy  of  consideration,  namely,  the  har- 
mony which  subsists  between  all  the  parts  of  a  natural- 
history  picture.  If  we  look  with  interest  on  the  lion,  the 
jaguar,  the  zebra,  the  python,  at  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
or  the  palms,  and  bananas,  and  bamboos  in  the  con- 


ARIEL  GAZELLE.  39 

servatories  at  Kew ;  how  vastly  more  interesting  would 
it  be  to  behold  each  in  its  own  home ;  surrounded  by  all 
the  accessories  of  surface-form,  of  atmospheric  pheno- 
mena, of  vegetation,  of  animal  life,  which  properly  belong 
to  it,  and  without  which  it  is  merely  an  isolated  object. 
Let  us  select  a  few  examples. 

To  see  the  ariel  gazelle,  accompany  a  troop  of  Bedouin 
Arabs  across  the  great  Syrian  desert.  Grand  and  awe- 
inspiring  in  its  boundless  immensity,  unearthly  and  ocean- 
like,  the  eye  shrinks  from  contemplating  the  empty,  cheer- 
less solitude,  and  vainly  wanders  round  for  some  object 
which  may  relieve  the  sense  of  utter  loneliness  and  desola- 
tion. Across  the  plain,  far  away  towards  the  west,  where 
the  fiery  glow  of  the  setting  sun  brings  out  their  forms 
in  dark  relief,  a  long  interrupted  line  of  columns  is  seen 
stretching  away  below  the  horizon ;  while,  as  the  troop 
approaches,  prostrate  heaps  of  ruins  appear,  groups  of 
broken  shafts  and  bases  of  columns,  huge  platforms  of 
stone,  and  fallen  capitals,  while  nere  and  there  a  solitary 
monumental  pillar  rears  itself  above  the  rest  in  solemn 
majesty.  At  the  end  of  the  sandy  plain,  the  eye  at 
length  rests  upon  the  lofty  colonnades  of  the  Temple  of 
the  Sun,  encompassed  by  a  dark  elevated  mass  of  ruined 
buildings;  but  beyond,  all  around,  right  and  left,  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach,  extends  the  vast  level  naked  flat  of 
the  great  Desert,  over  which  the  eye  runs  in  every  direc- 
tion, exploring  the  boundless  horizon,  without  discovering 
a  human  being,  or  a  vestige  that  tells  of  existing  human 
life.  Naked,  solitary,  unlimited  space  extends  around, 


40  HARMONIES. 

where  man  never  enjoys  the  refreshment  of  a  shadow,  or 
rests  his  limbs  under  cover  of  a  dwelling.  There  is  a 
deep  blue  aerial  haze  spread  over  the  surface,  but  the  dis- 
tant horizon  is  nevertheless  clear  and  sharply  denned : 
not  an  eminence  rises  to  break  the  monotonous  flat,  higher 
than  the  slight  hillocks  of  sand  sprinkled  with  a  withered 
herbage,  which  are  undiscerned  except  in  their  immediate 
proximity,  while  along  the  edge  extends  a  large  district 
covered  with  salt,  distinguished  from  the  rest  by  its 
peculiar  colour. 

Suddenly  a  herd  of  gazelles  is  seen  playfully  bounding 
over  the  sandy  mounds,  and  displaying  their  elegant 
forms,  and  striking  though  simple  colours,  and  the  in- 
imitable grace  and  beauty  of  all  their  actions.  The 
Bedouins  seize  their  lances,  the  travellers  draw  their 
pistols,  and,  distributing  themselves  into  a  wide  circle, 
endeavour  to  encompass  the  herd.  They  seem  heedless 
and  unconscious  for  a  time,  and  then,  as  the  intruders 
approach,  they  hold  up  their  beautiful  heads,  toss  their 
curved  and  taper  horns,  and  trot  up  into  a  closer  group. 
Then,  seeing  their  enemies  spurring  their  steeds  from 
behind  the  sandy  hillocks  all  round  them,  they  suddenly 
shoot  away  with  the  rapidity  of  the  wind,  easily  dash 
through  the  loosely-formed  circle,  and,  though  lances  are 
cast,  and  pistol-shots  resound,  unharmed  they  quickly 
distance  the  fleetest  of  their  pursuers ;  turn  and  gaze,  as 
if  in  mingled  curiosity  and  contempt,  and  then  away 
again,  bounding  over  the  tawny  sand  with  an  agility  that 
seems  rather  that  of  flight  than  of  running. 


HYENA.  4Y 

Or  would  you  see  the  hyena,  where  he  feels  most  at 
home,  surrounded  by  scenes  and  circumstances  most  con- 
genial to  his  habits?  Then  plod  your  weary  way  still 
further  across  the  sands,  and  pause  not  till  you  encamp 
amid  the  gorgeous  remains  of  that  ancient  City  of  ilie 
Wilderness, 

"  Whose  temples,  palaces, — a  wondrous  dream, 
That  passes  not  away, — for  many  a  league 
Illumine  yet  the  desert." 

There  sit  down  alone  amid  the  ruined  fanes  lighted  up 
by  the  setting  sun,  and  watch  the  approach  of  night,  just 
at  the  breaking  up  of  the  long  dry  season.  Everywhere 
around  are  the  remains  of  the  glorious  city;  walls,  and 
gateways,  and  columns  of  polished  granite  of  rosy  hue,  or 
of  marble  that  gleams  like  snow  in  the  bright  moonlight ; 
many  standing  in  their  desolateness,  but  many  more 
prostrate  and  half-buried  in  the  drifted  sand.  Some  of 
the  pillars  are  but  dimly  seen  in  the  gloomy  shadow  of 
the  lofty  walls,  others  stand  out  boldly  and  brightly  in 
the  soft  moonbeams,  while  here  and  there  a  brilliant 
gleam  slants  down  through  the  windows  of  a  ruined 
edifice,  and  illumines  the  deep  and  delicate  sculpture  of 
a  fallen  capital,  or  spreads  over  a  heap  of  disjointed 
stones.  Under  yon  dark  and  gloomy  portal  the  eye 
wanders  over  distant  funereal  towers  crowning  the  emi- 
nences, the  noble  gateway  of  the  grand  avenue,  and  lines 
of  columns  gradually  lost  in  the  distance. 

But  while  you  gaze,  there  is  a  change.  The  breeze, 
which  had  lifted  the  sand  in  playful  eddies,  drops  to  per- 


42  HARMONIES. 

feet  calmness.  Black  clouds  are  collecting  over  the 
mountain  range  that  forms  the  distant  horizon.  The 
moon  is  obscured,  and  the  whole  heaven  becomes  black 
with  tempest.  A  hurricane  suddenly  sweeps  through  the 
ruined  palaces,  and  fills  the  whole  air  with  a  dense  fog  of 
blinding  sand.  Then  a  flash  of  forked  lightning  shoots 
between  the  columns,  illuminating  them  for  an  instant, 
and  is  instantaneously  followed  by  a  bursting  crash  of 
thunder,  which  makes  the  tottering  fanes  tremble,  and 
huge  drops  of  warm  rain,  like  blood- drops,  are  spattering 
the  stones.  The  rain  now  comes  down  in  one  universal 
deluge,  flooding  the  floors,  and  pouring  off  from  the  old 
marble  platforms  in  cataracts.  Flash  follows  flash  in 
one  continuous  blaze  of  blinding  light,  bringing  out  the 
grim  marble  towers  and  pillars  against  the  black  clouds 
of  midnight  with  an  awfully  sublime  distinctness ;  and 
crash  after  crash,  and  peal  after  peal  of  thunder  are 
blending  into  one  uninterrupted  roll. 

But  amidst  the  deep  roar  rises  from  the  gaunt  heaps 
of  stone  an  unearthly  sound,  like  the  laugh  of  a 
demon.  Again,  the  cackling  mirth  echoes  along  the 
ruined  halls,  as  if  exulting  in  the  wild  war  of  the  ele- 
ments, and  in  the  desolation  around.  Lo  !  from  out  of 
yon  low  arch,  in  the  Placu  of  Tombs,  gleam  two  fiery  eyes, 
and  forth  stalks  into  the  lightning  the  fell  hyena.  With 
bristling  mane  and  grinning  teeth,  the  obscene  monster 
glares  at  you,  and  warns  you  to  secure  a  timely  retreat. 
Another  appears,  bearing  in  its  jaws  a  loathsome  human 
skull,  which  it  has  found  in  the  caravan  track.  You 


SIBERIAN  SCENERY.  43 

shudder  as  you  hear  the  bones  crack  and  grind  between 
the  powerful  teeth,  and  gladly  shrink  away  from  the 
repulsive  vicinity. 

The  home  of  the  great  Siberian  stag  is  aniong  the  most 
magnificent  scenery  in  the  world.  Search  for  him 
amidst  the  bold  precipices  of  the  Altaian  chain,  where 
enormous  mountains  of  primeval  formation  are  split  and 
cleft  into  the  wildest  ravines,  and  where  cascades  fall  in 
snowy  foam  down  the  terrible  gorges  bounded  by  sheer 
cliffs  that  almost  meet  far  overhead,  and  shut  out  the  light 
of  heaven.  Here  is  a  little  dell,  embosomed  in  the  moun- 
tains, as  full  of  flowers  as  an  English  garden, — irises  and 
columbines,  primroses  and  peonies,  of  many  rich  hues 
and  of  kinds  unfamiliar  to  us,  and  of  a  luxuriant  growth 
which  reaches  up  to  a  man's  shoulders ; — then  a  tiny 
basin  of  clear  water,  intensely  black  from  its  unruffled 
stillness  and  its  fathomless  depth.  Now  the  traveller 
crosses  a  sharp  ridge,  crowned  with  colossal  needles  of 
naked  granite,  where  the  furious  gale,  shrieking  and  howl- 
ing through  the  crevices,  threatens  to  hurl  horse  and 
man  a  thousand  fathoms  down ; — then  he  passes  into  a 
forest  where  not  a  breath  waves  the  tops  of  the  ancient 
cedars. 

It  is  a  region  where  animal  life  is  not  very  abundant, 
but  where  the  framework  of  the  solid  earth  itself  stands 
revealed  in  unrivalled  gorgeousness.  The  cliffs  are  here 
of  crimson  or  purple  porphyry,  as  brilliant  as  the  dyed 
products  of  the  loom,  there  of  dark-red  granite  seamed 
with  thick  veins  of  pure  rose-coloured  quarfz,  transparent 


44  HARMONIES. 

as  glass.  Here  a  vast,  uncouth  column  of  black  basalt 
rears  its  fused  cylinders  from  the  midst  of  a  narrow 
ravine ;  and  here  a  vast  precipice  appears  of  white  marble, 
as  pure  as  that  ofLParos.  Rocks  of  all  hues,  bright  red, 
purple,  yellow,  green ;  of  all  combinations  of  colours, 
white  with  purple  spots,  white  with  blue  veins,  brown 
with  pale  green  streaks,  pale  crimson  with  veins  of  black 
and '  yellow,  are  scattered  about  in  unheeded  confusion ; 
while,  above  all,  the  rich  and  splendid  jasper  rises  in 
enormous  masses,  as  if  it  were  the  vilest  rock,  yet  glitter- 
ing in  gorgeous  beauty, — mountains  of  gems.  Here  is 
one  of  a  dark  sea-green,  with  cream-coloured  veins  ;  there 
a  mass  of  deep  violet ;  and  here  a  ribbon-stripe,  marked 
irregularly  with  alternate  bands  of  red,  brown,  and  green  ; 
and  yonder  is  a  huge  heap  of  shattered  blocks  of  the 
richest  plum-purple,  transmitting  the  light  in  sparkling 
lustre  through  their  translucent  substance,  as  they  lie 
where  they  have  been  tumbled  down  from  their  beds  by 
the  force  of  the  torrent,  and  presenting  the  most  agree- 
able contrasts  between  their  own  deep,  rich,  imperial  hue, 
and  that  of  the  yellow-green  moss  that  springs  in  cushion- 
like  tufts  from  their  angles  and  crevices. 

You  pursue  the  little  mountain  stream,  through  the 
thick  mass  of  tangled  cedars  and  fallen  rocks,  slippery 
and  treacherous  to  the  unwary  foot,  wading  from  stone 
to  stone  through  many  a  narrow  gorge,  till  there  bursts 
before  you  a  beautiful  cascade,  that  comes  bounding  down 
in  three  leaps  from  a  height  of  sixty  feet.  The  water  is 
white  and  sparkling  as  it  plunges  over  the  purple  preci- 


SIBEKIAN  STAO.  45 

pine ;  the  lowest  fall  spreading  out  like  a  fan  of  thin 
gauze,  hanging  over  the  rocky  wall,  and  screening  the 
black  cavern  behind. 

With  difficulty  you  climb  through  a  ravine  to  the  top 
of  the  waterfall,  and  follow  the  stream  for  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  higher,  till  you  find  its  origin  in  a  little  moun- 
tain tarn,  deeply  embosomed  amidst  perpendicular  walls 
of  rock,  with  no  opening  or  outlet  except  the  narrow  cleft 
by  which  the  tiny  stream  escapes.  How  beautiful  is  the 
little  quiet  lake,  clear  as  crystal,  but  of  great  depth,  and 
hence  of  a  deep  green  hue,  receiving  and  absorbing  the 
sun's  rays  in  its  profundity,  like  a  floor  of  polished  beryl ! 
And  there  on  the  opposite  precipice,  gazing  down  into 
the  distant  water,  stand  in  antlered  majesty  three  noble 
stags.  Magnificent  creatures  !  here  they  are  at  home, 
dwelling  amidst  this  grandeur,  the  very  presiding  genii 
loci* 

We  are  familiar,  by  report,  with  that  great  bird  of 
mighty  wing,  the  lammergeyer  or  bearded  eagle,  whose 
red  eye  is  a  fair  index  of  its  cruel  ferocity,  that  preys  not 
only  on  birds  and  quadrupeds,  but  even  on  children.  We 
commonly  associate  this  proud  and  savage  bird  with  the 
crags  of  the  Alps,  but  it  is  spread  over  the  whole  central 
line  of  Europe  and  Asia,  wherever  lofty  and  rugged 
mountain-chains  arise.  Mr  Atkinson  speaks  of  having 
shot  one  in  a  scene  which  for  savage  grandeur  surpasses 
anything  in  the  Alps.  It  was  among  the  Alatou  moun- 

*  Every  feature  in  this  picture  is  in  Atkinson's  Siberia ;  in  the 
grouping  only  have  I  taken  any  liberty. 


46  HAEMOME8. 

tains  in  Chinese  Tartary,  where  the  river  Cora  breaks  out 
grandly  into  the  plain,  emerging  from  a  rent  in  the  lofty 
mountain-chain,  where  the  rocks  rise  several  thousand 
feet.  "  As  I  determined,"  says  this  intrepid  traveller,  "  to 
explore  this  mighty  gorge,  and  sketch  the  scenery,  our 
horses  were  left  at  the  mouth  of  the  chasm,  it  being  im- 
possible to  ride  up  the  gorge ;  and  track  there  was  none. 
We  had  to  climb  over  huge  masses  of  rock ;  some  we 
were  obliged  to  creep  under,  they  being  much  too  high 
to  climb  over:  in  other  places,  bushes  and  plants  were 
growing  in  tropical  luxuriance.  A  scramble  of  five  hours 
brought  me  to  a  point  I  could  not  pass ;  here  the  rocks 
rose  quite  perpendicularly  from  the  boiling  flood,  making 
ascent  to  the  summit  impossible.  Nor  can  this  be  ac- 
complished either  in  spring  or  summer ;  while  in  winter 
the  chasm  is  so  deep  in  snow — there  being  no  aoul 
[hamlet]  within  several  hundred  versts — that  it  would  be 
madness  to  attempt  it  at  that  time ;  thus  these  grand  and 
wild  scenes  are  closed  to  man,  and  the  tiger  remains  un- 
disturbed in  his  lair,  the  bear  in  his  den,  and  the  maral 
and  wild  deer  range  the  wooded  parts  unmolested.  A 
very  large  bearded  eagle  was  found  amongst  these  crags, 
which  I  shot.  After  making  several  sketches,  I  returned 
to  the  horses,  and  ascended  towards  the  great  plateau  be- 
tween the  mountains,  where  I  arrived  in  the  evening,  tired 
and  hungry.  The  dark  clouds  which  had  obscured  the 
mountains  cleared  off,  and  gave  me  a  most  splendid  view 
of  the  Actou,  which  runs  up  towards  the  Ilia ;  the  snowy 
peaks  shining  like  rubies  in  the  setting  sun,  while  all 


BEARDED  EAGLE.  47 

slow  them  was  blue  and  purple,  with  the  shades  of  even- 
ing creeping  over  the  lower  range.  In  the  foreground 
was  my  yourt  [hut],  with  the  Kirghis  cooking  the  sheep 
in  a  large  cauldron,  while  the  camels  and  horses  were  lying 
and  standing  around.  Tired  as  I  was,  I  could  not  resist 
sketching  the  scene,  which  will  ever  be  impressed  upon 
my  memory,  as  well  as  the  splendid  sunset  over  the 
Steppe."  * 

The  describer,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  an  artist  in 
search  of  the  picturesque.  His  eye  was  mainly  on  the 
scenery ;  but  surely  the  kingly  eagle,  seated  in  lone 
majesty  on  that  craggy  throne  of  his,  and  surveying  with 
haughty  eye  his  superb  domain,  was  a  very  grand  element 
in  the  picture. 

Again ;  let  us  look  at  Darwin  and  Captain  Fitzroy 
threading  their  perilous  way  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  through  the  Beagle  Channel.  It  is  a  straight 
passage,  not  more  than  two  miles  wide,  but  a  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  long,  bounded  on  each  side  by  moun- 
tains rising  in  unbroken  sweep  from  the  water's  edge, 
and  terminating  in  sharp  and  jagged  points  three  thou- 
sand feet  high.  The  mountain-sides  for  half  their  height 
are  clothed  with  a  dense  forest,  almost  wholly  composed 
of  a  single  kind  of  tree,  the  sombre-leafed  southern 
beech.  The  upper  line  of  this  forest  is  well  defined,  and 
perfectly  horizontal ;  below,  the  drooping  twigs  actually 
dip  into  the  sea.  Above  the  forest  line  the  crags  are 
covered  by  a  glittering  mantle  of  perpetual  snow,  and 
*  Siberia,  p.  574. 


48  HARMONIES. 

cascades  are  pouring  their  foaming  waters  through  the 
woods  into  the  Channel  below.  In  some  places  magnifi- 
cent glaciers  extend  from  the  mountain-side  to  the  water  s 
edge.  "  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  anything  more 
beautiful  than  the  beryl-like  blue  of  these  glaciers,  and 
especially  as  contrasted  with  the  dead-white  of  the  upper 
expanse  of  snow/'  Heavy  and  sudden  squalls  come  down 
from  the  ravines,  raising  the  sea,  and  covering  it  with 
foam,  like  a  dark  plain  studded  with  patches  of  drifted 
snow,  which  the  furious  wind  is  ever  lifting  in  sheets  of 
driving  spray.  The  albatross  with  its  wide-spread  wings 
comes  careering  up  the  Channel  against  the  wind,  and 
screams  as  if  it  were  the  spirit  of  the  storm.  The  surf 
breaks  fearfully  against  the  narrow  shores,  and  mounts  to 
an  immense  height  against  the  rocks.  Yonder  is  a  pro- 
montory of  blue  ice,  the  sheer  end  of  a  glacier  ;  the  wind 
and  sea  are  telling  upon  it,  and  now  dowrn  plunges  a  huge 
mass,  which  breaking  into  fragments,  bespreads  the  angry 
sea  with  mimic  icebergs. 

In  the  midst  of  this  war  of  the  elements,  appear  a  pair 
of  sperm-whales.  They  swim  within  stone's-cast  of  the 
shore,  spouting  at  intervals,  and  jumping  in  their  un- 
wieldy mirth  clean  out  of  the  waters,  falling  back  on  their 
huge  sides,  and  splashing  the  sea  high  on  every  hand, 
with  a  sound  like  the  reverberation  of  a  distant  broad- 
side.* How  appropriate  a  place  for  these  giants  of  the 
deep  to  appear  !  and  how  immensely  must  their  presence 
have  enhanced  the  wild  grandeur  of  that  romantic  scene ! 

*  Darwin's  Voyage,  chap.  x. 


HOME  OF  THE  GUANACO.  49 

We  turn  from  this  inhospitable  strait  to  a  region  if 
possible  even  more  forbidding,  more  stern,  more  grandly 
awful ;  one  of  the  passes  of  the  mighty  Andes,  the  Cor- 
dilleras of  Peru. 

"  We  now  came,"  says  a  traveller,  "  to  the  Jaula,  or 
Cage,  from  which  the  pass  takes  its  name,  where  we  took 
up  our  quarters  for  the  night,  under  the  lee  of  a  solid 
mass  of  granite  upwards  of  thirty  feet  square,  with  the 
clear,  beautiful  heavens  for  our  canopy.  Well  may  this 
place  be  called  a  cage.  To  give  a  just  idea  of  it  would  be 
next  to  impossible,  for  I  do  not  think  a  more  wild  or 
grander  scene  in  nature  could  possibly  exist ;  neverthe- 
less I  shall  attempt  a  description.  The  foaming  river, 
branching  off  into  different  channels  formed  by  huge 
masses  of  granite  lying  in  its  course,  ran  between  two 
gigantic  mountains  of  about  one  thousand  five  hundred 
feet  high,  and  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  distant 
from  each  other ;  so  that  to  look  up  at  the  summits  of 
either,  we  had  to  lay  our  heads  completely  back  on  our 
shoulders.  Behind  us,  these  tremendous  mountains  met 
in  a  point,  round  which  we  had  just  passed,  but  now 
appeared  as  one  mountain,  closing  our  view  in  a  distance 
of  not  more  than  four  or  five  hundred  yards ;  before  was 
the  mighty  Cordillera,  a  mass  of  snow,  appearing  to  block 
up  further  progress.  Thus  were  we  completely  shut  up 
in  a  den  of  mighty  mountains;  to  look  up  either  way — 
before,  behind,  right,  or  left — excited  astonishment,  awe, 
and  admiration.  Huge  masses  of  granite,  that  had  fallen 
from  the  awful  heights  above,  lay  scattered  about,  and 


50  HARMONIES. 

formed  our  various  shelters  for  the  night.  The  torrent, 
which  now  had  become  very  formidable,  rushed  down 
with  fury,  bounding  and  leaping  over  the  rugged  rocks 
which  lay  in  its  course,  keeping  up  a  continued  foam  and 
roar  close  to  our  wild  resting-place.  The  mules  were 
straying  about  picking  up  the  scanty  shrubs ;  and  our 
wild,  uncouth-looking  peons  were  assembled  round  a  fire 
under  the  lee  of  a  large  rock,  which  altogether  rendered 
it  a  scene  most  truly  wild  and  surprising."4 

Can  animal  life  habitually  exist  in  these  awful  soli- 
tudes? Is  it  possible  that  any  creature  can  make  its 
home  amidst  this  waste  of  stark  granite  and  everlasting 
ice  ?  Yes ;  the  guanaco,  or  Peruvian  camel,  delights  to 
dwell  here,  and  is  as  truly  characteristic  of  the  region  as 
the  Arabian  camel  is  of  the  sandy  desert.  It  snuffs  the 
thin  air  in  its  wild  freedom,  and  specially  delights  in 
those  loftier  ridges  which  the  Peruvians  term  punas, 
where  the  elements  appear  to  have  concentrated  all  their 
sternness.  It  was  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  guanaco, 
on  a  lofty  peak  above  the  party,  that  gave  occasion  to  the 
above  description.  The  peons,  with  their  dogs,  had  pur- 
sued it,  and  having  overtaken  it,  had  dragged  down  the 
carcase,  and  were  now  roasting  its  flesh  over  their  camp-fire. 

The  wild  reindeer,  in  his  native  snows,  is  seldom  visited 
by  civilised  man ;  and  it  is  a  thing  to  be  remembered 
during  life  to  have  seen  him  there.  Climb  the  precipices 
of  that  rugged  mountain-chain  that  forms  the  backbone 
of  Norway ;  cross  plain  after  plain,  each  more  dreary  than 

*  Brand's  Twvcl*  in  Peru,  p.  102. 


NOKWEGIAN  SNOW-FJELD.  51 


Ie  last,  as  you  reach  a  higher  and  a  yet  higher  elevation, 
1  you  stand,  in  the  sharp  and  thin  air,  catching  your 
breath  on  the  edge  of  the  loftiest,  the  wildest,  and  most 
barren  of  those  snowy  fjelds.  The  highest  hut  you  have 
left  far  below.  You  will  spend  the  day  and  the  night, 
(such  night  as  an  unsetting  sun  allows,)  too,  in  traversing 
its  lonely  waste,  and  you  will  see  neither  habitation  nor 
human  being,  nor  trace  of  human  works ;  no  tree,  nor 
shrub,  nor  heath,  nor  even  earth ;  nothing  but  hard,  bare 
barren,  lichen-clad  rocks,  or  enormous  fields  and  patches 
of  snow.  Here  and  there  a  little  reindeer-moss  fills  the 
crevices  of  the  shattered  rocks,  and  this  is  all  the  verdure 
of  this  wilderness  of  rocks  and  snow.  You  must  plunge 
through  the  soft  snow  above  your  knees  for  many  a  weary 
mile  ;  this  is  very  fatiguing :  at  other  times,  through  bogs 
of  moss  and  melted  snow ;  and  then,  perhaps,  through  a 
wide  torrent,  whose  waters  reach  to  your  middle.  Now 
you  have  to  cross  a  ridge  of  sharp  rock,  which  stands  like 
an  island  out  of  the  snow,  the  sharp  edges  of  the  granite 
cutting  into  the  leather  of  your  shoes,  now  completely 
soft  and  sodden  with  the  melted  snow.  Now  you  have 
to  descend  a  steep  snow-mountain ;  this  is  very  difficult, 
and  not  without  considerable  danger  if  you  are  unaccus- 
tomed to  it.  As  every  one  may  not  know  what  the  de- 
scent of  a  Norwegian  snow-mountain  is,  it  may  be  well 
to  explain  it.  Imagine  a  very  steep  mountain  covered 
with  deep,  never-melting  snow,  perhaps  five  or  six  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  the  side  presenting  a  bank  of  snow  as 
steep  as  the  roof  of  a  house.  To  try  whether  the  descent 


52  HARMONIES. 

is  practicable,  the  guide  places  a  large  stone  at  the  top, 
gives  it  a  gentle  push,  and  watches  its  progress.  If  the 
snow  is  soft  enough  to  impede  its  pace,  and  allow  it  to 
form  a  furrow  for  itself  and  glide  gradually  down,  the 
descent  is  pronounced  feasible ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  the 
snow  is  not  soft  enough  for  this,  but  the  stone  descends 
in  successive  bounds,  it  is  pronounced  too  dangerous  to 
attempt.  It  is  quite  wonderful  to  see  the  rapidity  and 
ease  with  which  the  guide  will  shoot  down  these  snow- 
mountains,  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow.  Placing  both  feet 
together,  with  nothing  in  his  hands  to  steady  him,  but 
bearing  your  heavy  provision-box  and  blankets  at  his 
back,  down  he  goes,  his  pace  accelerating  every  second 
till  he  reaches  the  bottom,  and  enveloped  all  the  way 
down  in  a  wreath  of  snow,  which  he  casts  off  on  both 
sides  of  his  feet  and  legs  as  if  it  had  been  turned  up  by 
a  plough,  and  marking  his  track  by  a  deep  furrow.  You 
follow  much  more  slowly,  holding  the  barrel  of  your  gun 
across  you,  while  the  butt  end  is  plunged  deep  into  the 
snow  to  steady  you,  and  to  slacken  your  pace.  If  you 
lean  forward  too  much,  you  are  in  danger  of  going  down 
head  over  heels ;  if  you  lean  back  too  much,  your  feet 
will  slip  from  under  you,  and  the  same  result  will  inevi- 
tably follow,  and  you  will  have  a  roll  of,  perhaps,  some 
hundred  feet,  without  a  chance  of  stopping  till  you  reach 
the  bottom ;  by  no  means  pleasant  even  on  snow,  and 
especially  when  the  snow-hill  ends  (as  is  not  unfrequently 
the  case)  in  a  rocky  precipice,  to  roll  over  which  must  be 
certain  death. 


REINDEER.  53 

Suddenly,  rounding  a  rocky  cliff,  the  guide  makes  a 
quick  movement  with  his  hand,  and  whispers  the  single 
word  "reins!"  pointing  as  he  crouches  down  to  three 
black  specks  on  the  white  mountain-side  full  two  miles 
off.  Now  all  is  excitement.  The  telescope  distinctly 
makes  them  out, — an  old  buck  above,  as  guard  and 
watcher,  a  doe  and  her  calf  a  little  lower  down.  What 
caution  now  is  necessary  in  stalking  the  noble  game  ! 
There  is  a  broad  valley  to  cross  full  in  their  view ;  you 
must  creep  low,  and  in  line,  concealing  your  rifles,  lest  the 
flashing  of  the  sun  on  the  barrels  betray  you,  and  not 
speaking  except  in  the  gentlest  whisper.  The  valley  is 
securely  crossed ;  there  is  a  brawling  torrent  to  be  waded, 
and  you  will  be  among  the  rocks. 

Has  the  buck  winded  you  ?  He  springs  to  his  feet, 
shakes  his  spreading  antlers,  and  sniffs  the  air,  then  walks 
leisurely  up  the  hill-side,  followed  by  his  family,  and  all 
disappear  over  the  rocky  ridge. 

Now  is  the  time  for  speed !  Up,  up  the  hill,  scramble 
under,  over,  through  the  great  loose  fragments,  but  noise- 
lessly, silently,  for  the  game  are  probably  not  far  off. 
Now  you  are  at  the  rock  over  which  you  saw  them  go. 
The  guide  peeps  cautiously  over,  and  beckons.  You.  too, 
peep,  and  there  they  are,  all  unsuspecting,  a  hundred  yards 
off.  The  old  guide  now  lies  down  on  the  snow,  and 
wriggles  along  from  rock  to  rock  to  get  round,  whence  he 
may  drive  them  toward  you.  The  deer  are  still  busy 
munching  the  moss,  which  they  scrape  from  beneath  the 
snow. 


54  HAEMONIES. 

A  few  minutes  of  breathless  excitement.  The  hunter 
shews  himself  on  yonder  peak.  The  noble  buck  trots 
majestically  towards  you,  his  head  thrown  up,  and  his 
fine  horns  spreading  far  on  each  side  of  his  back.  He 
stops — sniffs — starts ;  but  too  late  !  the  rifle -ball  has 
sped,  and  his  hoofs  are  kicking  up  the  blood-stained 
snow  in  dying  convulsions.* 

In  our  homely  sheep,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  utili- 
tarian element  prevails  over  the  poetic ;  but  wi;h  the 
burrell,  or  wild  sheep,  of  the  Himalaya  Peaks,  the  case  is 
far  otherwise.  Twice  the  size  of  an  English  ram,  with 
horns  of  such  vastness,  that  into  the  cavity  of  those  which 
lie  bleaching  on  the  frozen  rocks,  the  fox  sometimes  creeps 
for  shelter, -f-  dwelling  in  the  most  inaccessible  regions, 
the  snow-covered  ranges  of  the  loftiest  mountains  in  the 
world,  or  the  mighty  spurs  that  jut  out  from  them,  shy 
and  jealous  of  the  approach  of  man,  whom  it  discerns  at 
an  immense  distance, — the  burrell  is  considered  as  the 
first  of  Himalayan  game  animals,  and  the  killing  of  it  the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  Himalayan  shooting. 

How  grand  are  the  regions  in  which  it  dwells  !  An  en- 
thusiastic and  successful  sportsman  furnishes  us  with  the 
following  vivid  picture  of  the  wild  sheep  and  its  home : — 

"We  started  early  to  reach  the  source  of  the  mighty 
Ganges.  The  opposite  bank  being  the  best  ground  for 
burrell,  we  were  in  great  hopes  that  we  might  find  suffi- 
'  ient  snow  left  to  enable  us  to  cross  the  river;  but  the 

*  See  "Notes  on  Norway,"  by  A.  C.  Smith,  in  the  Zoologist  for  1851. 
f-  Hooker,  Himal.  Jour.,  i.  p.  243 


GLACIER  OF  THE  GANGES.  55 

snow  that  at  times  bridges  over  the  stream  was  gone. 
The  walking  was  bad,  for  in  all  the  small  tributary  streams 
were  stones  and  rocks  incrusted  with  ice,  which  made 
them  very  difficult  to  cross.  On  the  opposite  side  we  saw 
immense  flocks  of  burrell,  but  there  was  no  getting  at 
them. 

"  At  last,  the  great  glacier  of  the  Ganges  was  reached, 
and  never  can  I  forget  my  first  impressions  when  I  beheld 
it  before  me  in  all  its  savage  grandeur.  The  glacier, 
thickly  studded  with  enormous  loose  rocks  and  earth,  is 
about  a  mile  in  width,  and  extends  upwards  many  miles, 
towards  an  immense  mountain,  covered  with  perpetual 
snow  down  to  its  base,  and  its  glittering  summit  piercing 
the  very  skies,  rising  21,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  chasm  in  the  glacier,  through  which  the  sacred 
stream  rushes  forth  into  the  light  of  day,  is  named  the 
Cow's  Mouth,  and  is  held  in  the  deepest  reverence  by  all  the 
Hindoos ;  and  the  regions  of  eternal  frost  in  its  vicinity 
are  the  scenes  of  many  of  their  most  sacred  mysteries. 
The  Ganges  enters  the  world  no  puny  stream,  but  bursts 
forth  from  its  icy  womb,  a  river  thirty  or  forty  yards  in 
breadth,  of  great  depth  and  very  rapid.  A  burrell  was 
killed  by  a  lucky  shot  across  the  river  just  at  the  mouth  ; 
it  fell  backwards  into  the  torrent,  and  was  no  more  seen. 
Extensive  as  my  travels  since  this  day  have  been  through 
these  beautiful  mountains,  and  amidst  all  the  splendid 
scenery  I  have  looked  on,  I  can  recall  none  so  strikingly 
magnificent  as  the  glacier  of  the  Ganges."  * 

*  Markham,  Shooting  in  the  Ifimal.,  p.  57. 


56  HARMONIES. 

Again ;  if  we  wish  to  see  the  vastest  of  terrestrial 
animals,  it  is  not  within  the  bars  of  a  travelling  menagerie 
that  we  should  look  for  him,  nor  in  the  barbaric  pomp  or 
domestic  bondage  of  India,  but  in  the  noble  forest-glens 
of  Africa. 

Mr  Pringle  has  drawn  a  graphic  sketch  of  such  a  valley, 
two  or  three  miles  in  length,  surrounded  by  a  wild  and 
bewildering  region,  broken  into  innumerable  ravines,  in- 
cumbered  with  rocks,  precipices,  and  impenetrable  woods 
and  jungles,  among  lofty  and  sterile  mountains.  The  valley 
itself  is  a  beautiful  scene  ;  it  suddenly  bursts  on  the  view 
of  the  traveller  as  he  emerges  from  a  wooded  defile.  The 
slopes  and  sides  are  clothed  with  the  succulent  spek-boom  ;* 
the  bottom  is  an  expanded  grassy  savanna  or  meadow, 
beautifully  studded  with  mimosas,  thorns,  and  tall  ever- 
greens, sometimes  growing  singly,  sometimes  in  clumps 
and  groves  of  varying  magnitude. 

Foot-tracks  deeply  impressed  in  the  soft  earth  are 
everywhere  visible ;  paths,  wide  and  well  trodden,  like 
military  roads,  have  been  opened  up  through  the  dense 
thorny  forest,  apparently  impenetrable.  Through  one  of 
these  a  numerous  herd  of  elephants  suddenly  appears  on 
the  scene ;  the  great  bull-elephant,  the  patriarch  of  the 
herd,  marches  in  the  van,  bursting  through  the  jungle, 
as  a  bullock  would  through  a  field  of  hops,  treading  down 
the  thorny  brushwood,  and  breaking  off  with  his  proboscis 
the  larger  branches  that  obstruct  the  passage  ;  the  females 
and  younger  males  follow  in  his  wake  in  single  file. 

*  Postidacai-ia  afro,. 


AFKICAN  ELEPHANT.  57 

Other  herds  are  seen  scattered  over  the  valley  as  the 
prospect  opens  ;  some  browsing  on  the  juicy  trees,  others 
reposing,  and  others  regaling  on  the  fresh  roots  of  huge 
mimosas  which  have  been  torn  up ;  while  one  immense 
monster  is  amusing  himself,  as  if  it  were  but  play  to  him, 
with  tearing  up  these  great  trees  for  his  expectant  family. 
He  digs  with  his  stout  tusks  beneath  the  roots,  now  on 
this  side,  now  on  that,  now  using  one  tusk,  now  the  other, 
prizing,  and  forcing  away,  and  loosening  the  earth  all 
around,  till  at  length  with  a  tremendous  pull  of  his  twisted 
proboscis,  he  tears  up  the  reluctant  tree,  and  inverting  the 
trunk  amidst  a  shower  of  earth  and  stones,  exposes  the 
juicy  and  tender  rootlets  to  his  hungry  progeny.  Well 
may  the  traveller  say  that  a  herd  of  elephants  browsing 
in  majestic  tranquillity  amidst  the  wild  magnificence  of 
an  African  landscape  is  a  very  noble  sight,  and  one,  of 
which  he  will  never  forget  the  impression.* 

Who  has  ever  gazed  upon  the  lion  under  conditions  so 
fitted  to  augment  his  terrible  majesty,  as  those  in  which 
the  mighty  hunter  of  South  Africa  was  accustomed  to 
encounter  him  ?  Who  of  us  would  have  volunteered  to 
be  his  companion,  when  night  after  night  he  watched  in 
the  pit  that  he  had  dug  beside  the  Massouey  fountain  in 
the  remote  Bamangwato  country?  There  is  the  lonely 
pool,  situated  in  the  open  valley,  silent  and  deserted  by 
day,  but  marked  with  well-beaten  tracks  converging  to  its 
margins  from  every  direction ;  tracks  in  which  the  foot- 
prints of  elephants,  rhinoceroses,  giraffes,  zebras,  and 
*  African  Sketches. 


58  HAKMONIES. 

antelopes,  are  crossed  and  recrossed  by  those  of  the  great 
padding  paws  of  huge  lions.  The  hunter  observes  the 
paths,  and  selecting  a  spot,  digs  a  hole  in  the  earth  just 
large  enough  to  allow  him  and  his  Hottentot  attendant  to 
lie  down  in.  He  places  his  bedding  in  it,  and  prepares  to 
spend  his  nights  there.  About  sunset  he  repairs  to  his 
strange  bed,  and,  with  the  sparkling  stars  above  him,  and 
silence  deep  as  death  around  him,  he  keeps  his  watch. 

Soon  the  stillness  is  broken  by  many  sounds.  The 
terrible  roar  of  a  lion  is  heard  in  the  distance ;  jackals 
are  heard  snorting  and  snarling  over  a  carcase ;  a  herd  of 
zebras  gallops  up  toward  the  fountain,  but  hesitates  to 
approach ;  then  a  pack  of  wild  dogs  is  heard  chattering 
around.  By  and  by,  a  heavy  clattering  of  hoofs  comes 
up  the  valley,  and  on  sweeps  a  vast  herd  of  wildebeest ; 
the  leader  approaches  the  water,  when  the  hunter's  rifle 
sends  a  ball  through  him,  and  he  falls  dead  on  the 
bank. 

The  herd  disperses  in  terror;  and  presently  a  lion  utters 
an  appalling  roar  from  a  bushy  ridge  just  opposite,  which 
is  succeeded  by  a  breathless  silence. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  elapses.  A  peculiar  sound  causes 
the  hunter  to  lift  his  head,  when  he  sees,  on  the  opposite 
edge  of  the  pool,  a  huge  and  majestic  male  lion,  with  a 
black  mane  which  nearly  sweeps  the  ground,  standing 
over  the  dead  wildebeest.  He  seems  suspicious;  and 
stooping  to  seize  the  carcase,  drags  it  up  the  slope. 
Again  the  intrepid  watcher  points  his  trusty  rifle,  and 
the  tawny  monarch  sinks  to  the  shot.  At  length  with  a 


LIONS  AT  MIDNIGHT.  59 

deep  growl  he  rises,  and  limps  away  to  a  bushy  cover, 
where  he  roars  mournfully,  and  dies. 

Or  take  him  a  few  nights  afterwards,  when  from  the 
same  pit  he  sees  six  lions  together  approach  to  drink. 
Six  lions  at  midnight  there  !  two  men  here  !  nothing  be- 
tween the  parties  but  a  little  pool,  which  a  ten  minutes' 
walk  would  encircle !  One  of  the  lions  detects  the  in- 
truder, and,  with  her  eye  fixed  upon  him,  creeps  round 
the  head  of  the  fountain.  What  a  moment  of  suspense ! 
But  once  more  the  fatal  ball  speeds  ;  and  the  too  curious 
lioness,  mortally  wounded,  bounds  away  with  a  howl, 
followed  by  her  five  companions  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

Very  different  from  such  a  scene  is  the  gorgeous  gloom 
of  a  Brazilian  forest,  where  the  wiry- haired  sloth  hangs 
from  the  branches,  the  toothless  ant-eater  breaks  up  with 
its  hoofs  the  great  earthy  nests  of  the  termites,  and  the 
armadillo  burrows  in  the  soil ;  where  the  capybara  and 
the  tapir  rush  to  the  water ;  where  painted  toucans  cry  to 
each  other,  golden-plum  aged  trogons  sit  on  the  topmost 
boughs,  and  sparkling  humming-birds  flit  over  the 
flowers ;  where  beetles,  like  precious  stones,  crawl  up  the 
huge  trunks,  and  butterflies  of  all  brilliant  hues  fan  the 
still  and  loaded  air.  Not  like  the  small  and  pale  or 
sombre-hued  species  that  we  see  in  the  fields  and  gardens 
of  Britain  are  these  :  their  numbers  are  prodigious ;  their 
variety  bewildering ;  many  of  them  are  adorned  with  the 
most  splendid  colours,  and  some  of  the  finest  are  of 
immense  size.  Very  characteristic  of  this  region  are  the 
species  of  the  genus  Morpho ;  great  butterflies  larger 


60  HARMONIES. 

than  a  man's  open  hand,  with  the  lower  surface  of  the 
wings  adorned  with  a  pearly  iridescence,  and  concentric 
rings,  while  their  upper  face  is  of  an  uniform  azure,  so 
intensely  lustrous  that  the  eye  cannot  gaze  upon  it  in  the 
sun  without  pain. 

Solemn  are  those  primeval  labyrinths  of  giant  trees, 
tangled  with  ten  thousand  creepers,  and  roofed  with  lofty 
arches  of  light  foliage,  diversified  with  masses  of  glorious 
blossom  of  all  rich  hues ;  while  from  the  borders  of  the 
igaripes,  or  narrow  canals  that  permeate  the  lower  levels, 
spring  most  elegant  ferns,  lowly  sensitive  mimosas,  great 
and  fantastic  herbaceous  plants,  marbled  and  spotted 
arums,  closely  compacted  fan-palms  with  spreading  crowns, 
and  multitudes  of  other  strange  forms  of  vegetation  in 
an  almost  inconceivable  profusion.  The  gigantic  scale  of 
life  strongly  excites  astonishment  in  these  forests.  In 
Europe  we  associate  flowers  with  herbs  or  shrubs,  but 
here  we  see  trees  of  colossal  height,  in  all  the  splendour 
of  bloom,  which  clothes  the  whole  crown  with  its  colour. 

The  traveller  sees  with  delight,  trees  covered  with 
magnificent,  large  lilac,  orange,  crimson,  or  white 
blossoms,  contrasting  beautifully  with  the  surrounding 
varied  tints  of  green.  After  enjoying,  with  a  restless 
glance,  this  display  of  colours,  he  turns  to  the  deep 
shades  which  lie  disclosed,  solemn  and  mournful,  be- 
tween the  gigantic  trees  on  the  wayside.  The  flame- 
coloured  raceme  of  a  tillandsia,  resembling  an  immense 
pine-apple,  glows  like  fire  among  the  dark  foliage. 
Again  attention  is  attracted  by  the  charming  orchids, 


BRAZILIAN  FOREST.  61 

with  most  fantastic  flowers,  climbing  up  the  straight 
trunks  of  the  trees,  or  picturesquely  covering  their 
branches,  which  seldom  shoot  out  from  the  trunk  at  a 
less  height  than  fifty  to  eighty  feet  from  the  ground. 
From  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  trees  spring  up  so 
densely,  that,  when  young,  their  branches,  not  having 
room  to  expand  freely,  strive  to  overtop  one  another. 
The  tillandsias  nestle  at  the  ramification  of  the  smaller 
branches,  or  upon  excrescences,  where  they  often  grow  to 
an  immense  size,  and  have  the  appearance  of  an  aloe,  the 
length  of  a  man,  hanging  down  gracefully  from  a  giddy 
height  over  the  head  of  the  passer-by. 

Among  the  various  plants  which  spring  from  the 
branches  or  cling  to  the  stems  of  the  trees,  are  gray,  moss- 
like  plants  hanging  down,  not  unlike  horses'  tails,  from 
the  branches  which  support  the  orchids  and  tillandsias ; 
or  one  might  fancy  them  the  long  beards  of  these  vener- 
able giants  of  the  forest,  that  have  stood  unbent  beneath 
the  weight  of  a  thousand  years.  Myriads  of  lianes  hang 
down  to  the  ground,  or  are  suspended  in  the  air,  several 
inches  thick,  and  not  unfrequently  the  size  of  a  man's 
body,  coated  with  bark  like  the  branches  of  the  trees. 
But  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  conceive  the  fantastic 
forms  they  assume,  all  interlaced  and  entangled :  some- 
times they  depend  like  straight  poles  to  the  ground, 
where  striking  root,  they  might,  from  their  thickness,  be 
taken  for  trees  ;  at  other  times  they  resemble  large  loops 
or  rings,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  or  are  so 
twisted  that  they  look  like  cables.  Sometimes  they  laco 


62  HARMONIES. 

the  tree  regularly  from  distance  to  distance ;  often  they 
embrace  it  so  closely  as  to  choke  it,  and  cause  the  leaves 
to  fall  off,  so  that  it  stretches  out  its  dead  gigantic  arms 
like  branches  of  white  coral,  among  the  fresh  verdure  of 
the  forest, — a  picture  of  death,  surprising  us  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  blooming  life :  frequently  they  give 
the  old  trunk  a  new  covering  of  leaves,  so  that  the 
same  tree  appears  clothed  in  several  different  kinds  of 
foliage.* 

So,  if  space  permitted,  we  might  depict  the  brown 
bear  emerging  from  his  winter  retreat  in  the  dark  pine 
forests  of  Scandinavia ;  or  the  white  bear  seated  on  a 
solitary  iceberg  in  the  Polar  Sea ;  or  the  whale  spouting 
in  the  same  frost-bound  waters,  and  pursued  by  the  har- 
poon of  his  relentless  persecutors  ;  or  the  moose  impri- 
soned in  the  "  yard "  which  he  has  himself  formed  by 
treading  down  the  successive  snows  in  the  lofty  woods  of 
America  ;  or  the  chamois  upon  the  peaks  of  the  Alps,  with 
the  eagle  sweeping  over  him  as  he  gazes  contemptuously 
down  on  the  jager  far  below  ;  or  the  patient  camel  toiling 
along  the  unbounded  waste  of  tawny  sand  ;  or  the  kangaroo 
bounding  over  the  Australian  scrub  ;  or  the  seal  basking 
in  his  rocky  cavern,  while  the  surf  is  dashing  high  on  the 
cliffs  around ;  or  the  wild-duck  reposing  at  the  margin  of 
a  smooth  river,  when  the  red  light  of  evening  is  reflected 
in  the  line  left  by  the  tall  and  almost  meeting  trees  over- 
head ;  or  a  group  of  snow-white  egrets  standing  motion- 
less in  the  shallows  of  a  reedy  lake  at  dawn  of  day ;  or 

*  Travels  of  Prince  Adalbert  in  Brazil,  p.  15,  et  seq. 


TIDE-POOL. 


63 


the  petrel  careering  over  the  long  waves  in  the  midst  of 
the  wide  ocean  ;  or  the  tiny  cyprides  and  Cyclopes  disport- 
ing in  the  umbrageous  groves  of  their  world, — a  tiny 
tide-pool  hollowed  out  of  a  limestone  rock  by  the  action 
of  the  waves.  These  and  many  more  combinations  might 
be  suggested ;  and  we  shall  surely  see  how  incomparably 
is  the  interest  which  attaches  to  each  form  enhanced,  by 
associating  with  it  those  accompaniments  and  conditions 
of  being,  in  which  alone  it  is  at  home. 


III. 

DISCREPANCIES. 

I  USE  the  term  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  for  lack  of  a 
better.  There  are  no  real  discrepancies  in  nature,  but  I 
may  conveniently  employ  the  word  to  distinguish  a  class 
of  phenomena  not  without  interest.  We  occasionally 
meet  with  animal  or  vegetable  life  existing  under  condi- 
tions, not  which  are  not  as  truly  proper  to  them  as  the 
jungle  to  the  tiger  or  the  river  to  the  crocodile,  but  whicli 
appear  to  us  strange  and  incongruous ;  which  create  in 
us  surprise,  as  the  most  prominent  emotion  of  the  mind, — 
surprise  at  finding  life,  or  any  particular  phase  of  it,  in 
circumstances  where  we  should  not  a  priori  have  at 
all  expected  to  find  it.  Examples  will  best  explain  what 
I  mean. 

Take,  then,  the  existence  of  animal  life  at  groat  depths 
of  ocean.  The  researches  of  Sars,  MacAndrew,  and  others, 
in  the  Norwegian  seas,  and  those  of  Edward  Forbes  in 
the  ^Egean,  have  shewn  that  mollusca  exist  under  two 
hundred  fathoms  of  water.  Dead  shells,  indeed,  are  con- 
tinually dredged  from  far  greater  depths  ;  but  these  may 
have  been  voided  by  the  many  fishes  which  feed  on  mol- 
lusca, and  would,  of  course,  fall  to  the  bottom,  whatever 
the  depth  of  the  sea  in  which  the  fish  might  happen  to  be 


LIFE  IN  THE  DEEP  SEA.  65 

swimming.  Dentalium  entale,  Leda  pygmcea,  and  Cryp- 
todon  flexuosus  have  been  taken  alive  in  the  northern 
seas  at  two  hundred  fathoms'  depth :  in  the  ^Egean  Sea, 
Kellia  dbyssicola  and  Necera  cuspidata,  two  little  bivalves, 
were  dredged,  the  former  in  one  hundred  and  eighty,  the 
latter  in  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  fathoms;  and  Area 
imbricata  in  two  hundred  and  thirty  fathoms. 

Nor  is  the  power  of  sustaining  life  at  such  immense 
depths  confined  to  the  molluscan  tribes ;  zoophytes  rival 
them  in  this  respect.  Great  tree-like  corals,  Primnoa  and 
Oculina,  spring  from  the  bottom-rocks,  to  which  they  are 
affixed,  at  a  depth  of  a  hundred  fathoms  and  upwards : 
the  magnificent  Ulocyathus  arcticus,  a  free  coral,  recently 
discovered  by  Sars,  lives  on  the  mud  at  two  hundred 
fathoms  ;  Bolocera  Tuedice,  Tealia  digitata,  and  Peachia 
Boeckii,  soft-bodied  sea-anemones,  reach  to  the  same 
depth,  while  other  species  of  the  same  race, — Capnea 
sanguined  and  Actinopsis  flava  live  at  the  amazing  depth 
of  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  fathoms. 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  shells  of  mollusca  which 
inhabit  very  deep  water  are  almost  entirely  devoid  of 
positive  colour,  and  this  has  been  supposed  to  be  the 
inevitable  result  of  the  darkness  in  which  they  live ;  for 
it  is  assumed  that  all  or  nearly  all  the  sun's  light  must 
be  absorbed  by  so  vast  a  mass  of  water.  But  yet  most 
of  these  zoophytes  are  highly-coloured  animals,  —  the 
Actinopsis  being  of  a  fine  yellow,  the  Bolocera,  Tealia, 
and  Capnea  of  a  red  more  or  less  intense,  and  the 
Ulocyathus  of  the  most  refulgent  scarlet.  The  pressure 


66  DISCREPANCIES. 

of  a  column  of  sea-water,  from  twelve  to  eighteen  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  must  be  quite  inconceivable  to  us ; 
and  we  are  at  a  loss  to  imagine  how  the  corporeal  tissues 
can  sustain  it,  and  how  the  vital  functions  can  be  carried  on. 
Yet  the  presence  of  these  creatures  implies  the  presence 
of  others.  The  mollusca  are  mostly  feeders  on  infusoria 
and  diatomacece ;  therefore  these  minute  animalcules 
and  plants  must  habitually  live  there.  The  zoophytes 
are  all  carnivorous,  and  being  all  stationary,  or  nearly  so, 
the  prey  on  which  they  feed  must  be  abundant  there  in 
proportion  to  their  requirements.  Perhaps  this  may 
partly  consist  of  the  mollusca ;  but  it  is  highly  probable 
that  Crustacea  and  annelida  likewise  abound.*  One 
species  of  the  former  class  has,  indeed,  been  discovered 
in  the  profound  sea.  A  small  kind  of  lobster,  named 
Calocaris  Macandrece,  about  as  large  as  a  small  prawn, 
was  dredged  by  Mr  MacAndrew,  (after  whom  it  has  been 
named,)  in  the  Scottish  seas,  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  fathoms. t 

Who  would  expect  to  find  the  expanse  of  everlasting 
snow  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and  at  the  summits  of  the 
Alps,  the  seat  of  abundant  life,  whether  vegetable  or  ani- 
mal? Yet  such  is  the  fact.  Ross  observed,  in  Baffin's 
Bay,  a  range  of  cliffs  covered  with  snow  which  was  tinged 
with  a  brilliant  crimson  colour  for  an  extent  of  eight 
miles,  the  hue  penetrating  from  the  surface  down  to  the 

*  See,  for  the  facts,  Woodward's  Mollusca,  p.  441 ;  and  Fauna  Litt. 
Noweg.,  ii.  pp.,  73,  87. 
t  BeU's  Brit.  Crust,  p.  233. 


LIFE  ON  SNOW.  67 

very  rock,  a  depth  of  twelve  feet.  The  same  phenomenon 
has  been  observed  in  other  parts  of  the  Polar  regions,  on 
the  glaciers  of  the  Alps,  and  in  other  similar  circum- 
stances. Scientific  investigation  has  proved  this  colour 
to  be  caused  by  the  excessive  abundance  of  minute  organ- 
isms, mostly  vegetable,  of  a  very  simple  character,  in  the 
form,  according  to  Dr  Greville,  of  a  gelatinous  layer,  on 
which  rest  a  vast  number  of  minute  globules,  resembling, 
in  brilliance  and  colour,  fine  garnets.*  Professor  Agassiz, 
however,  maintains  that  these  globules  are  not  vegetables, 
but  the  eggs  of  a  minute  though  highly-organised  animal, 
one  of  the  Rotifer  a,  named  Philodina  roseola,  which 
animal  he  found  in  abundance,  with  the  globules,  in  the 
glacier  of  the  Aar.f  Other  minute  animals  were  also 
found  in  the  snow. 

In  Canada  I  have  found,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  living 
and  active  insects  on  the  surface  of  the  snow,  which  are 
seen  nowhere  else,  and  at  no  other  season.  Little  hop- 
ping atoms,  of  singular  structure,  adapted  to  a  mode  of 
progression  peculiarly  their  own,  dance  about  on  the  un- 
sullied bosom  of  the  new-fallen  snow.  They  belong  to 
the  genus  Podura,  and  are  distinguished  by  having  at 
the  extremity  of  their  body  two  long,  stiff  bristles,  ordi- 
narily bent  up  under  the  belly,  but  which,  at  the  pleasure 
of  the  insect,  fly  out  straight  with  great  force,  and  thus 
jerk  it  into  the  air,  on  the  principle  of  a  child's  toy-frog. 
Other  curious  species, — two  in  particular,  both  belonging 
to  winged  families,  yet  both  without  wings,  the  one  a  sort 

*  See  Ciyptog.  Flvra,  p.  231.  f  Rep.  Er.  Assoc.,  1840. 


68  DISCREPANCIES. 

of  wingless  gnat,*  the  other  something  like  a  flea,  but 
really  one  of  the  Panorpadce,^ — I  have  found  numerous 
in  similar  circumstances,  and  in  no  other. 

As  a  curious  incident,  not  altogether  out  of  place  in 
this  connexion,  though  the  parallelism  of  the  cases  is 
more  apparent  than  real,  we  may  notice  the  trees  which 
Mr  Atkinson  found  growing,  under  very  unusual  circum- 
stances, in  the  valley  of  the  Black  Irkout,  in  Eastern 
Siberia,  a  romantic  gorge,  whose  precipitous  sides  are 
formed  of  different  marbles — one  white,  with  deep  purple 
spots  and  small  veins,  another  a  rich  yellow  kind,  equal, 
if  not  superior,  to  the  best  Sienna,  but  wholly  untouched 
by  man.  "  We  reached,"  he  says,  "  a  part  of  the  ravine 
filled  with  snow  and  ice,  where  large  poplars  were  grow- 
ing, with  only  their  tops  above  the  icy  mass ;  the 
branches  were  in  full  leaf,  although  the  trunks  were 
imbedded  in  the  snow  and  ice  to  a  depth  of  twenty-five 
feet.  I  dismounted,  examined  several,  and  found  that 
there  was  a  space  around  the  stem,  nine  inches  wide,  filled 
with  water,  the  only  parts  that  appeared  to  be  thawing. 
I  have  often  seen  flowers  penetrating  a  thin  bed  of  snow, 
but  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  found  trees  growing 
under  such  circumstances."  { 

The  burning,  sandy  deserts  of  Arabia  and  Africa  seem 
at  first  sight  to  be  utterly  without  organic  life,  and  doubt- 
less they  are  the  most  barren  of  all  regions.  But  even 
there  both  animals  and  vegetables  do  exist.  Several  sorts 

*  Chionea  araneoides.  f  Borevs  Jiyemalis. 

+  A  Icinson's  Siberia,  p.  595. 


LIFE  IN  THE  DESERT.  69 

of  hard,  thorny  shrubs  are  scattered  over  the  dreary  waste, 
the  chief  of  which  is  the  Hedysarum  of  the  Sahara,  a 
plant  about  eighteen  inches  high,  which  is  green  through- 
out the  year ;  it  grows  absolutely  out  of  the  arid  sand, 
and  is  eagerly  cropped  by  the  camels  of  the  caravans. 
There  are  also  beetles,  which  burrow  in  the  sand ;  and 
nimble  lizards  which  shine,  as  they  bask  in  the  burning 
sun,  like  burnished  brass,  and  bury  themselves  on  being 
alarmed.  The  lizards  probably  live  upon  the  beetles ; 
but  what  the  beetles  live  upon  is  not  so  clear. 

The  enormous  plains  of  South  Africa,  called  karroos, 
though  not  so  absolutely  barren  wastes  as  the  Sahara,  are 
still  great  wildernesses  of  sand,  exposed  to  periodical 
droughts  of  long  duration.  These  regions  are  occupied 
by  a  most  singular  type  of  vegetation ;  fleshy,  distorted, 
shapeless,  and  often  leafless,  tribes  of  euphorbias,  stapelias, 
mesembryanthemums,  crassulas,  aloes,  and  similar  succulent 
plants,  maintain  their  hold  of  the  sandy  soil  by  the  weak 
support  of  a  single  wiry  root,  and  are  fed  rather  by  the 
dews  of  heaven  'than  by  the  moisture  of  the  soil.  During 
the  rainless  months  of  the  dry  seasons,  these  plains  are 
scarcely  less  arid  than  the  sandy  deserts  of  the  north  ; 
yet  even  then  there  are  reservoirs  beneath  the  surface. 
Livingstone  speaks  of  a  certain  plant,  named  leroshua, 
which  is  a  blessing  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  desert. 
"  We  see  a  small  plant  with  linear  leaves,  and  a  stalk  not 
thicker  than  a  crow's  quill ;  on  digging  down  a  foot  or 
eighteen  inches  beneath,  we  come  to  a  tuber,  often  as 
large  as  the  head  of  a  young  child ;  when  the  rind  is 


70  DISCREPANCIES. 

removed,  we  find  it  to  be  a  mass  of  cellular  tissue,  filled 
with  fluid  much  like  that  in  a  young  turnip.  Owing  to  the 
depth  beneath  the  soil  at  which  it  is  found,  it  is  generally 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing.  Another  kind,  named 
mokuri,  is  seen  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  where  long- 
continued  heat  parches  the  soil.  This  plant  is  a  herbaceous 
creeper,  and  deposits  underground  a  number  of  tubers, 
some  as  large  as  a  man's  head,  at  spots  in  a  circle  a  yard 
or  more,  horizontally,  from  the  stem.  The  natives  strike 
the  ground  on  the  circumference  of  the  circle  with  stones, 
till,  by  hearing  a  difference  of  sound,  they  know  the  water- 
bearing tuber  to  be  beneath.  They  then  dig  down  a  foot 
or  so,  and  find  it."* 

There  are  deserts  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  America 
as  horribly  barren  as  any  in  Africa  or  Asia,  if  not  so  ex- 
tensive. One  of  these  is  described  by  Mr  Darwin,  who  was 
all  day  riding  across  it,  as  a  "  a  complete  and  utter  desert." 

"  The  road/'  he  says,  "  was  strewed  with  the  bones  and 
dried  skins  of  the  many  beasts  of  burden  which  had 
perished  on  it  from  fatigue.  Excepting  the  Vullur  aura, 
which  preys  on  the  carcases,  I  saw  neither  bird,  quadruped, 
reptile,  nor  insect.  On  the  coast-mountains,  at  the  height 
of  about  2000  feet,  where  during  this  season  the  clouds 
generally  hang,  a  very  few  Cacti  were  growing  in  the  clefts 
of  rock,  and  the  loose  sand  was  strewed  over  with  a 
lichen,  which  lies  on  the  surface  quite  unattached.  This 
plant  belongs  to  the  genus  Cladonia,  and  somewhat  re- 
sembles the  reindeer  lichen.  In  some  parts  it  was  in  suf- 
ficient quantity  to  tinge  the  sand,  as  seen  from  a  distance, 

*  Livingstone's  Travels,  p.  47. 


LIFE  IN  A  VOLCANO.  71 

of  a  pale  yellowish  colour.  Further  inland,  during  the 
whole  ride  of  fourteen  leagues,  I  saw  only  one  other  vege- 
table production ;  and  that  was  a  most  minute  yellow 
lichen,  growing  on  the  bones  of  the  dead  mules."  * 

The  rugged  desolation  which  characterises  the  interior 
of  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  even  though  the  fiery  torrent 
which  formed  it  be  at  the  time  dormant,  seems  ill-suited 
for  the  smiling  beauty  of  flowers ;  yet  such  occasionally 
exist  there. 

Sir  Thomas  Acland,  who  ascended  to  the  summit  of 
Schneehatten,  the  lofty  volcano  of  Norway,  describes  the 
crater  to  be  broken  down  on  the  northern  side,  surrounded 
on  the  others  by  perpendicular  masses  of  black  rock, 
rising  out  of,  and  high  above,  beds  of  snow  that  enveloped 
their  bases.  The  interior  sides  of  the  crater  descended  in 
one  vast  sheet  of  snow  to  the  bottom,  where  an  icy  lake 
closed  the  view,  at  the  depth  of  1500  feet  from  the  highest 
ridge.  "  Almost  at  the  top,"  he  says,  "  and  close  to  the 
snow,  which  had  probably  but  a  few  days  before  covered 
them,  were  some  very  delicate  and  beautiful  flowers,  in 
their  highest  bloom,  of  the  Ranunculus  glacialis,  growing 
most  profusely ;  nor  were  they  the  only  inhabitants  : 
mosses,  lichens,  and  a  variety  of  small  herbaceous  plants 
were  in  the  same  neighbourhood  ;  and,  lower  down,  dwarf- 
birch,  and  a  species  of  osier,  formed  a  pretty  kind  of 
thicket.  The  traces  of  reindeer  appeared  on  the  very  top- 
most snow/'  •(• 

*  Nat.  Voyage,  chap.  xvi. 

t  MS.  letter,  quoted  in  Barrow's  Excursions  in  the  North  of  Europe, 
p.  359. 


72  DISCREPANCIES. 

The  very  dust  of  the  air  is  found  to  be  peopled  with 
living  plants  and  animals,  and  that  where  we  should  least 
have  expected  to  find  it  so  stocked ;  nay,  where  we  should 
scarcely  have  looked  for  clouds  of  dust  at  all, — far  out  on 
the  lone  ocean,  hundreds  of  miles  from  land.  In  Mr 
Darwin's  voyage,  he  noticed,  as  he  approached  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands,  this  curious  phenomenon : — "  Generally  the 
atmosphere  is  hazy ;  and  this  is  caused  by  the  falling  of 
impalpably  fine  dust,  which  was  found  to  have  slightly 
injured  the  astronomical  instruments.  The  morning  be- 
fore we  anchored  at  Porto  Praya,  I  collected  a  little 
packet  of  this  brown-coloured  fine  dust,  which  appeared 
to  have  been  filtered  from  the  wind  by  the  gauze  of  the 
vane  at  the  masthead.  Mr  Lyell  has  also  given  me  four 
packets  of  dust  which  fell  on  a  vessel  a  few  hundred  miles 
northward  of  these  islands.  Professor  Ehrenberg  finds 
that  this  dust  consists,  in  great  part,  of  infusoria*  with 
siliceous  shields,  and  of  the  siliceous  tissue  of  plants.  In 
five  little  packets  which  I  sent  him,  he  has  ascertained  no 
less  than  sixty-seven  different  organic  forms !  The  infu- 
soria, with  the  exception  of  two  marine  species,  are  all 
inhabitants  of  fresh  water.  I  have  found  no  less  than 
fifteen  different  accounts  of  dust  having  fallen  on  vessels 
when  far  out  in  the  Atlantic.  From  the  direction  of  the 
wind  whenever  it  has  fallen,  and  from  its  having  always 
fallen  during  those  months  when  the  harmattan  io  known 
to  raise  clouds  of  dust  high  into  the  atmosphere,  we  may 
feel  sure  that  it  all  comes  from  Africa.  It  is,  however,  a 

*  Constituting  the  Diatomacece  of  modern  science. 


LIFE  IN  BRINE.  73 

very  singular  fact,  that,  although  Professor  Ehrenberg 
knows  many  species  of  infusoria  peculiar  to  Africa,  he 
finds  none  of  these  in  the  dust  which  I  sent  him ;  on  the 
other  hand,  he  finds  in  it  two  species  which  hitherto  he 
knows  as  living  only  in  South  America.  This  dust  falls 
in  such  quantities  as  to  dirty  everything  on  board,  and  to 
hurt  people's  eyes ;  vessels  even  have  run  on  shore  owing 
to  the  obscurity  of  the  atmosphere.  It  has  often  fallen 
on  ships  when  several  hundred,  and  even  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  at  points 
sixteen  hundred  miles  distant  in  a  north  and  south  direc- 
tion. In  some  dust  which  was  collected  on  a  vessel  three 
hundred  miles  from  the  land,  I  was  much  surprised  to 
find  particles  of  stone,  about  the  thousandth  of  an  inch 
square,  mixed  with  finer  matter.  After  this  fact,  one 
need  not  be  surprised  at  the  diffusion  of  the  far  lighter 
and  smaller  sporules  of  cryptogamic  plants."* 

In  all  these  situations,  in  which  we  have  seen  organic 
existence  maintained,  we  must  admit  that  there  is  nothing 
actually  hostile  to  life.  The  snow,  the  hot  sand,  the  cal- 
cined lava,  the  dust,  seem  ungenial  spheres  for  living 
beings,  offer  but  little  encouragement  to  them,  as  we 
should  have  supposed,  but  are  not  actually  destructive. 
What  shall  we  say,  however,  to  animals  disporting  them- 
selves, by  myriads,  in  brine  so  strong  as  to  contain  two 
pounds  of  salt  to  the  gallon  ?  A  solution  so  concentrated 
is  sufficient  in  general  to  destroy  all  life.-)-  Yet,  in  the 

*  Naturalist's  Voyage,  chap.  i. 

•f*  Goadby's  preservative  fluid  contains  but  three-quarters  of  a  pound 
of  salts  to  a  gallon  of  water. 


74  DISCREPANCIES. 

salt-works  at  Lymington,  in  Hampshire,  the  reservoirs  of 
concentrated  brine  are  always  peopled  by  immense  num- 
bers of  an  elegant  little  animal,  quite  peculiar  to  such 
situations,  which  sport  about  in  all  the  enjoyment  of 
existence.  The  little  creature  is  a  sort  of  shrimp,  and  is 
commonly  known  as  the  brine  shrimp.*  It  is  nearly 
half  an  inch  in  length,  and  is  furnished  with  eleven  pairs 
of  leaf-shaped  limbs.  "  There  is  nothing,"  says  M.  Joly, 
"  more  elegant  than  the  form  of  this  little  crustacean ; 
nothing  more  graceful  than  its  movements.  It  swims 
almost  always  on  its  back,  and  moves  rapidly  through 
the  element.  The  feet  are  in  constant  motion,  and  their 
undulations  have  a  softness  difficult  to  describe."  Besides 
these  animals,  the  brine  is  inhabited  by  incalculable  mul- 
titudes of  a  microscopic  animalcule  of  a  crimson  hue,  on 
which  the  brine-shrimp  feeds,  and  which  impart  to  its 
translucent  body  their  own  roseate  colour. 

A  similar  creature,  but  of  another  species,-)-  distin- 
guished by  a  broad  crescent-shaped  shield  over  the  head, 
inhabits  lakes,  highly  charged  with  nitre  and  common 
salt,  in  North  Africa.  The  animals  are  so  numerous  that 
they  are  caught  with  muslin  nets,  and  dried  in  the  sun  in 
the  form  of  a  red  paste  or  cake,  which  is  highly  esteemed 
as  an  article  of  food,  having  the  flavour  of  red  herring. 

Mr  Darwin  found,  near  Buenos  Ayres,  a  shallow  lake 
of  brine,  which  in  summer  is  converted  into  a  field  of 
snow-white  salt.  The  border  of  the  lake  is  a  fetid,  black 

*  Artemia  salina. 

f  A.  Oudneyi.     See  Excelsior,  i.,  229,  for  figures  of  both  species. 


LIFE  IN  BOILING  WATER.  75 

inud,  in  which  are  imbedded  large  crystals  of  gypsum, 
three  inches  long,  and  of  sulphate  of  soda.  "  The  mud, 
in  many  places,  was  thrown  up  by  numbers  of  some  kind 
of  worm.  How  surprising  is  it  that  any  creatures  should 
be  able  to  exist  in  brine,  and  that  they  should  be  crawl- 
ing among  crystals  of  sulphate  of  soda  and  lime  !  And 
what  becomes  of  these  worms  when,  during  the  long 
summer,  the  surface  is  hardened  into  a  solid  layer  of 
salt?"*  Exactly  similar  lakes,  similarly  peopled,  occur 
in  Siberia  also.*f 

Perhaps  even  stranger  still  is  the  circumstance  that 
fishes — vertebrate  animals  far  higher  in  the  organic  scale 
than  shrimps  or  worms — can  subsist,  apparently  in  health, 
in  water  sufficiently  heated  to  boil  them  if  dead.  Brous- 
sonet  found,  by  experiments,  that  several  species  of  fresh- 
water fishes  lived  many  days  in  water  so  hot  that  the 
human  hand  could  not  be  held  in  it  for  a  single  minute. 
Saussure  found  living  eels  in  the  hot  springs  of  Aix,  in 
Savoy,  in  which  the  temperature  is  pretty  regularly  113 
deg.  of  Fahrenheit.  But  still  more  extraordinary  are 
the  facts  recorded  by  Humboldt  and  Bonpland,  who  saw 
living  fishes,  apparently  in  health  and  vigour,  thrown  up 
from  the  crater  of  a  volcano  in  South  America,  with 
water  and  hot  vapour  that  raised  the  thermometer  to  210 
deg.  Fahrenheit,  a  heat  less,  by  only  two  degrees,  than 
that  of  boiling  water. 

The  same  accomplished  travellers  visited  hot  springs  in 

*  Naturalist's  Voyage,  chap.  iv. 

t  Pallas's  Travels,  1793  to  1794,  pp.  129-134. 


76  DISCREPANCIES. 

Venezuela,  the  temperature  of  which  was  above  194  deg., 
and  which  boiled  eggs  in  less  than  four  minutes.  The 
vegetation  around  seemed  to  rejoice  in  the  heat,  being 
unusually  luxuriant,  the  mimosas  and  fig-trees  spreading 
their  branches  far  over  the  hot  water,  and  actually  push- 
ing their  roots  into  it. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  discoveries  of  modern 
science  is  that  of  a  subterranean  fauna,  all  the  members 
of  which  are  blind.  The  transition  from  the  illuminated 
tenants  of  this  upper  world  to  those  darkened  subjects  of 
Pluto  is  indeed  facilitated  by  certain  intermediate  condi- 
tions. Such  is  the  guacharo,  or  fruit-eating  nightjar,  found 
by  Humboldt  inhabiting,  in  immense  hosts,  a  deep,  sepul- 
chral cavern  in  South  America,  shut  out  far  from  the  re- 
motest ray  of  light,  coming  forth  under  the  cover  of  night, 
and  invested  with  superstitious  terrors  by  the  natives. 
Such,  too,  is  the  aspalax,  or  mole  of  eastern  Europe,  which 
habitually  lives  under  ground ;  and  such  is  the  proteus, 
a  strange  sort  of  salamander  found  in  the  lakes  of  im- 
mense caverns  in  Illyria.  They  are  believed  to  come 
from  some  great  central,  inaccessible  reservoir,  where  no 
ray  of  light  has  ever  penetrated,  and  whence  occasional 
floods  may  have  forced  the  individuals  that  have  been 
discovered.* 

I  know  not  what  the  condition  of  the  eye  may  be  in 
the  guacharo,  but  in  the  mammal  and  reptile,  it  exists 
only  in  the  most  rudimentary  condition,  completely  covered 
by  the  integuments. 

*  See  Davy's  Consolations  in  Travel. 


BLIND  FAUNA  OF  CAVERNS.  77 

Very  recently,  however,  investigations  in  various  parts 
of  the  world  have  revealed  the  curious  circumstance  of 
somewhat  extensive  series  of  animals  inhabiting  vast 
and  gloomy  caves  and  deep  wells,  and  perfectly  deprived 
even  of  the  vestiges  of  eyes.  Enormous  caves  in  North 
America,  some  of  which  are  ten  miles  in  length,  and 
other  vast  and  ramified  grottoes  in  Central  Europe,  have 
yielded  the  chief  of  these ;  but  even  in  this  country  we 
possess  at  least  four  species  of  minute  shrimps,*  three 
of  which  are  absolutely  blind,  and  the  fourth  (though  it 
has  a  yellow  speck  in  the  place  of  an  eye)  probably  so. 
All  these  have  been  obtained  from  pumps  and  wells  in 
the  southern  counties  of  England,  at  a  depth  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

The  crustacean  Calocaris,  already  mentioned  as  in- 
habiting the  amazing  depth  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
fathoms,  appears  to  be  blind,  for  though  eyes  are  present, 
their  surface  is  perfectly  smooth  and  destitute  of  facetted 
cornese,  and  white,  shewing  the  absence  of  colouring  pig- 
ment. Vision  can  scarcely  exist  with  such  a  structure, 
and  this  is  in  keeping  with  the  habits  of  the  animal ;  for 
not  only  would  the  vast  superincumbent  body  of  water 
absorb  all  the  rays  of  light,  and  make  its  sphere  of  being 
totally  dark,  but,  in  addition  to  this,  it  is  of  fossorial 
habits,  burrowing  into  the  sandy  mud  at  the  bottom. -f- 

The  Mammoth  Cave  in  Kentucky  consists  of  innumer- 

*  Belonging  to  the  genera  Nijihargw  and  Crangonyx.    (See  Nat.  Hist 
Review,  1859 ;  Pr.  Soc.,  p.  164). 
t  Bell's  Brit.  Crust.,  p.  236. 


78  DISCREPANCIES. 

able  subterranean  galleries  in  the  limestone  formation, 
some  of  which  are  of  great  extent.  The  temperature  is 
constant  throughout  the  year — 59  deg.  Fahr.  A  darkness, 
unrelieved  by  the  least  glimmer  of  light,  prevails.  Ani- 
mals of  various  races  inhabit  these  caves,  all  completely 
blind ;  for  though  some  have  rudimentary  eyes,  they  ap- 
pear useless  for  purposes  of  vision.  Among  these  are  two 
kinds  of  bats,  two  rats,  (one  found  at  a  distance  of  seven 
miles  from  the  entrance,)  moles,  fishes,  spiders,  beetles, 
Crustacea,  and  several  kinds  of  infusoria  * 

In  1845,  three  caves  near  Adelsburg  and  one  near 
Trieste  were  examined  by  Professor  Schiodte.  Koch, 
Schmidt,  and  others  had  already  announced  the  existence 
in  these  caves  of  a  blind  fauna,  besides  the  proteus.  An 
Oniscus,  a  beetle  of  the  family  Staphylinidce,  and  two 
belonging  to  the  Carabidce,  were  found  to  be  either  totally 
destitute  of  eyes,  or  to  have  these  organs  reduced  to  rudi- 
mentary specks.  Schiodte  added  to  these  two  new  species 
of  SilphadcB,  a  species  of  spring-tail,  two  remarkable 
spiders,  each  constituting  a  new  genus,  and  a  crustacean. -f- 
Still  later,  Schmidt  has  discovered  two  more  beetles  in 
these  caves,  inhabiting  the  deepest  recesses,  and  described 
as  perfectly  eyeless,  yet  retreating  quickly  from  the  light 
of  the  explorers'  torches  into  clefts  of  the  rock ;  a  curious 
circumstance,  which  would  seem  to  indicate  a  certain 
sensibility  to  the  stimulus  of  light.  J  Indeed,  in  several 

*  Trans,  Roy.  Soc.  Edinb.,  Dec.  1853. 
f  Schiodte's  Spec.  Faun.  Subteiv. 
£  Laibacher  Zeituny,  August  1852. 


BLIND  FAUNA  OF  CAVEHNS.  79 

of  the  vertebrate  creatures  of  the  Kentucky  cave,  the 
optic  nerve  is  found  to  exist,  though  the  eyes  are 
wanting. 

Of  the  true  relations  of  these  remarkable  beings  with 
those  which  inhabit  the  sunny  world  without,  there  are 
various  opinions.  Some  have  thought  it  possible  that 
they  are  the  descendants  of  unfortunate  individuals  that, 
in  unknown  ages  past,  wandered  into  the  caves,  and  were, 
unable  to  find  their  way  out  again ;  the  total  absence  of 
light,  and  the  consequent  disuse  of  the  visual  organs,  in- 
ducing an  obliteration  of  the  organs  themselves,  or  at  least 
of  the  function.  Others  suppose  that  the  animals  were 
at  the  first  assigned  to  such  situations,  and  fitted  for  them 
at  their  creation.  Others  again,  among  whom  may  be 
reckoned  the  late  Mr  Kirby,  in  his  "  Bridgewater  Treatise," 
contend  that  they  form  no  portion  of  the  fauna  now  in 
existence  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  but  belong  to  a 
creation  as  distinct  as  we  may  suppose  that  of  Venus  or 
Jupiter  to  be.  The  data,  however,  scarcely  warrant  such 
a  conclusion  as  this. 

Mr  Charles  Darwin  has  lately  alluded  to  these  singular 
facts  in  confirmation  of  his  theory  of  the  origin  of  species 
by  means  of  natural  selection,  or  the  preservation  of  fa- 
voured races  in  the  struggle  for  life.  He  takes  the  first- 
named  view,  that  in  the  subterranean  animals  the  organs 
of  sight  have  become  (more  or  less  completely)  absorbed, 
in  successive  generations,  by  disuse  of  the  function.  "  In 
some  of  the  crabs  the  foot-stalk  remains,  though  the  eye 
is  gone ;  the  stand  for  the  telescope  is  there,  though  the 


80  DISCREPANCIES. 

telescope  with  its  glasses  has  been  lost.  As  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine  that  eyes,  though  useless,  could  be  in  any  way 
injurious  to  animals  living  in  darkness,  I  attribute  their 
loss  wholly  to  disuse.  In  one  of  the  blind  animals, 
namely,  the  cave-rat,  the  eyes  are  of  immense  size ;  and 
Professor  Silliman  thought  that  it  regained,  after  living 
some  days  in  the  light,  some  slight  power  of  vision.  In 
the  same  manner  as,  in  Madeira,  the  wings  of  some  of 
the  insects  have  been  enlarged,  and  the  wings  of  others 
have  been  reduced,  by  natural  selection  aided  by  use  and 
disuse,  so  in  the  case  of  the  cave-rat,  natural  selection 
seems  to  have  struggled  with  the.  loss  of  light  and  to  have 
increased  the  size  of  the  eyes ;  whereas,  with  all  the  other 
inhabitants  of  the  caves,  disuse  by  itself  seems  to  have 
done  its  work. 

" ....  On  my  view,  we  must  suppose  that  American 
animals,  having  ordinary  powers  of  vision,  slowly  migrated 
by  successive  generations  from  the  outer  world  into  the 
deeper  and  deeper  recesses  of  the  Kentucky  caves,  as  did 
European  animals  into  the  caves  of  Europe.  We  have 
some  evidence  of  this  gradation  of  habit ;  for,  as  Schiodte 
remarks,  '  animals  not  far  remote  from  ordinary  forms, 
prepare  the  transition  from  light  to  darkness.  Next 
follow  those  that  are  constructed  for  twilight ;  and,  last 
of  all,  those  destined  for  total  darkness.  By  the  time 
that  an  animal  has  reached,  after  numberless  generations, 
the  deepest  recesses,  disuse  will  on  this  view  have  more 
or  less  perfectly  obliterated  its  eyes,  and  natural  selection 
will  often  have  effected  other  changes,  such  as  an  increase 


BLIND  FAUNA  OF  CAVERNS.  81 

in  the  length  of  the  antennae  or  palpi,  as  a  compensation 
for  blindness. 

" .  .  .  .  Par  from  feeling  any  surprise  that  some  of  the 
cave-animals  should  be  very  anomalous,  as  Agassiz  has 
remarked  in  regard  to  the  blind  fish,  the  Amblyopsis,  and 
as  is  the  case  with  the  blind  Proteus  with  reference  to  the 
reptiles  of  Europe,  I  am  only  surprised  that  more  wrecks 
of  ancient  life  have  not  been  preserved,  owing  to  the  less 
severe  competition  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  these  dark 
abodes  will  probably  have  been  exposed/'* 

Lone  and  barren  rocks  rising  abruptly  out  of  the  soli- 
tary ocean  often  teem  with  animal  life  to  an  amazing 
extent,  where  the  navigator  might  reasonably  have  looked 
for  utter  silence  and  desolation.  For  these  are  the  resort 
of  millions  of  oceanic  birds,  affording  to  these,  whose 
proper  home  is  on  the  wide  and  shoreless  sea,  the  spots  of 
solid  matter  which  they  require  for  the  laying  of  their 
eggs  and  the  hatching  of  their  young.  This  brief  occu- 
pation, lasting  only  for  a  few  weeks  in  the  year,  appears 
to  be  the  only  link  wrhich  connects  these  pelagic  free- 
booters with  the  earth.  Pelicans,  gannets,  boobies,  cor- 
morants, frigate-birds,  tropic-birds,  albatrosses,  fulmars, 
skuas,  petrels,  gulls,  terns,  puffins,  and  multitudes  of  other 
tribes  throng  to  such  bare  rocks  in  the  season,  in  count- 
less hosts,  making  the  desolation  horridly  alive.  Such  a 

*  Op.  cit.t  p.  137.  I  am  very  far,  indeed,  from  accepting  Mr  Dar- 
win's theory  to  the  extent  to  which  he  pushes  it,  completely  tram- 
pling on  Revelation  as  it  does ;  but  I  think  there  is  a  measure  of  truth 
in  it. 


82  DISCREPANCIES. 

scene  as  ensues  when  man  intrudes  on  it  has  been  vividly 
depicted  by  Le  Vaillant.  "  All  of  a  sudden,  there  arose 
from  the  whole  surface  of  the  island  an  impenetrable 
cloud,  which  formed,  at  the  distance  of  forty  feet  above  our 
heads,  an  immense  canopy,  or  rather  a  sky,  composed  of 
birds  of  every  species,  and  of  all  colours :  cormorants, 
sea-gulls,  sea-swallows,  pelicans,  and  I  believe,  the  whole 
winged  tribe  of  that  part  of  Africa,  were  here  assembled. 
All  their  voices,  mingled  together,  and  modified  accord- 
ing to  their  different  kinds,  formed  such  a  horrid  music, 
that  I  was  every  moment  obliged  to  cover  my  head  to 
give  a  little  relief  to  my  ears.  The  alarm  which  we 
spread  was  so  much  the  more  general  among  those  in- 
numerable legions  of  birds,  as  we  principally  disturbed  the 
females  which  were  then  sitting.  They  had  nests,  eggs, 
and  young  to  defend.  They  were  like  furious  harpies  let 
loose  against  us,  and  their  cries  rendered  us  almost  deaf. 
They  often  flew  so  near  us,  that  they  flapped  their  wings 
in  our  faces,  and  though  we  fired  our  pieces  repeatedly, 
we  were  not  able  to  frighten  them :  it  seemed  almost  im- 
possible to  disperse  this  cloud." 

How  utterly  desolate  such  insular  rocks  are  is  well 
illustrated  by  what  Mr  Darwin  says  of  St  Paul's  cluster, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlantic,  under  the  equator.. 
At  a  distance  these  rocks  appear  of  a  brilliant  white 
colour,  partly  owing  to  the  dung  of  the  innumerable  sea- 
fowl,  and  partly  to  a  coating  of  a  hard,  glossy  substance 
with  a  pearly  lustre,  which  is  intimately  united  to  the 
surface  of  the  stone.  It  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  inflores- 


BIRD-STATIONS.  83 

cence  of  the  phosphate  of  lime,  obtained  by  the  solution 
of  the  bird-ordure  in  the  elements,  which  takes  on  foliated 
forms  imitative  of  lichens  or  nullipores. 

There  is  not  a  vestige  of  vegetable  life  here,  but  of 
animals  there  are  not  a  few.  The  booby  and  the  noddy 
sit  on  the  bare  rock  in  startling  tameness,  apparently 
having  less  intellect  than  the  far  inferior  races  around 
them.  "  By  the  side  of  many  of  the  nests  a  small  flying- 
fish  was  placed,  which,  I  suppose,  had  been  brought  by 
the  male  bird  for  its  partner.  It  was  amusing  to  watch 
how  quickly  a  large  and  active  crab,  (Grapsus,')  which 
inhabits  the  crevices  of  the  rock,  stole  the  fish  from  the 
side  of  the  nest,  as  soon  as  we  had  disturbed  the  parent 
birds.  Sir  W.  Symonds,  one  of  the  few  persons  who 
have  landed  here,  informs  me  that  he  saw  the  crabs 
dragging  even  the  young  birds  out  of  their  nests,  and 
devouring  them.  Not  a  single  plant,  not  even  a  lichen, 
grows  on  this  islet ;  yet  it  is  inhabited  by  several  insects 
and  spiders.  The  folio  wing -list  completes,  I  believe,  the 
terrestrial  fauna : — A  fly  (Olfersia)  living  on  the  booby, 
and  a  tick  which  must  have  come  here  as  a  parasite  on 
the  birds ;  a  small  brown  moth,  belonging  to  a  genus 
that  feeds  on  feathers ;  a  beetle,  (Quedius,)  and  a  wood- 
louse  from  beneath  the  dung ;  and,  lastly,  numerous 
spiders,  which  I  suppose  prey  on  these  small  attendants 
and  scavengers  of  the  waterfowl.  The  often-repeated 
description  of  the  stately  palm,  and  other  noble  tropical 
plants,  then  birds,  and  lastly  man,  taking  possession  of 
the  coral  islets  as  soon  as  formed,  in  the  Pacific,  is  pro 


84  DISCREPANCIES. 

bably  not  quite  correct ;  I  fear  it  destroys  the  poetry  of 
this  story,  that  feather-  and  dirt-feeding,  and  parasitic  in- 
sects and  spiders  should  be  the  first  inhabitants  of  newly- 
formed  oceanic  land."  * 

The  occurrence,  far  out  on  the  boundless  sea,  of  crea- 
tures which  we  habitually  associate  with  the  land,  is  a 
phenomenon  which  interests  even  those  who.  are  little 
observant  of  natural  history.  Visits  of  land-birds  to 
ships  have  often  been  noticed  by  voyagers,  and  that  not 
of  those  species  only  which  are  known  to  make  long 
transmarine  migrations,  but  of  small  and  feeble-winged 
races,  such  as  finches  and  warblers.  It  is  much  more 
remarkable,  however,  to  see  insects  under  such  circum- 
stances ;  yet  examples  of  this  are  not  wanting.  Mr 
Darwin  expresses  his  surprise  at  finding  a  considerable 
number  of  beetles,  alive  and  apparently  little  injured, 
swimming  in  the  open  sea,  seventeen  miles  off  Cape 
Corrientes,  at  the  mouth  of  the  La  Plata.  These  may 
have  been  carried  down  by  a  river,  especially  as  several 
of  them  were  water-beetles ;  but  this  will  not  account  for 
aerial  insects  taking  a  sea  voyage.  The  same  naturalist 
was  surrounded  by  flocks  of  butterflies  of  several  kinds, 
(chiefly  of  the  genus  Colias,)  ten  miles  off  the  same  coast. 
They  were  in  countless  myriads,  so  that  the  seamen  cried 
that  it  was  "  snowing  butterflies,"  extending  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  range ;  and,  even  with  a  telescope,  it  was  not 
possible  to  see  a  space  free  from  butterflies.  The  day 
had  been  fine  and  calm,  and  so  had  the  day  before ;  so  that 

*  Naturalist's  Voy.,  chap.  L 


INSECTS  AT  SEA.  85 

the  supposition  that  the  insects  had  been  involuntarily 
blown  off  the  land  was  inadmissible.* 

But  in  these  cases  the  land  was  not  beyond  the  range 
of  moderate  flight.  What  shall  we  say  to  jaunts  of  five 
hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  performed  by  these  filmy- 
winged  and  delicate  creatures  ?  Mr  Davis  has  recorded  •(• 
that  a  large  dragon-fly,  of  the  genus  JEshna,  flew  on 
board  the  ship  in  which  he  was  sailing,  on  the  llth  of 
December  1837,  when  out  at  sea,  the  nearest  land  being 
the  coast  of  Africa,  which  was  distant  five  hundred 
miles. 

The  late  Mr  Newport,  in  his  Presidential  Address  to 
the  Entomological  Society  of  London,  for  the  year  1 845, 
thus  alluded  to  two  other  instances  of  the  same  interest- 
ing phenomenon  : — "  Mr  Saunders  exhibited,  at  our  De- 
cember meeting,  a  specimen  of  jEshna,  that  was  taken  at 
sea  by  our  corresponding  member,  Mr  Stephenson,  in  his 
voyage  from  this  country  to  New  Zealand,  last  year. 
This  insect  is  a  recognised  African  species,  and  was 
captured  on  the  Atlantic,  more  than  six  hundred  miles  in 
a  direct  line  from  land.  In  all  probability  it  had  been 
driven  across  the  ocean  by  the  trade  winds,  which  blow 
continuously  at  that  season  of  the  year  in  a  direction 
oblique  to  the  course  of  the  ship  that  was  conveying  Mr 
Stephenson  outwards.  The  other  instance  that  has  just 
come  to  my  knowledge  is  mentioned  in  a  letter  from  Mr 
Dyson  to  Mr  Cuming.  Mr  Dyson  states,  that  while  at  sea, 
in  October  last,  when  about  six  hundred  miles  from  the 

*  Nat.  Voy.,  cliap.  viiL  f  Eniom,  Mag.,  v.  p.  2ol. 


86  DISCREPANCIES. 

Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  and  twelve  hundred  from  Guada- 
loupe,  he  observed  a  large  butterfly,  apparently  of  the 
genus  Morpho,  (?)*  flying  round  the  ship,  but  he  could  not 
succeed  in  capturing  it.  These  are  facts  related  by  entomo- 
logists who  could  not  have  mistaken  the  objects  observed, 
and  consequently  they  are  entitled  to  full  credit.  They 
are  full  of  interest  in  relation  to  a  subject  of  physiological 
discussion,  the  power  of  flight  supposed  to  be  possessed 
by  these,  our  little  favourites,  and  the  speed  with  which 
they  are  conveyed  across  the  ocean,  whether  by  an  actual 
expenditure  of  muscular  energy,  or  whether  carried  by  the 
force  of  the  wind  alone.  My  own  opinion  certainly  is, 
that  the  amount  of  muscular  power  exerted  during  flight 
is  trifling,  compared  with  what  we  have  usually  supposed 
it  to  be,  and  that  in  these  instances  the  insects  have  been 
greatly  aided  in  their  progress  by  the  wind.  The  speed 
at  which  they  must  have  traversed  the  ocean  seems  to 
confirm  this  view ;  as  it  is  well  known  that  the  JEshna 
will  not  live  more  than  a  few  days,  if  unable  to  obtain  its 
living  food." 

The  Atlantic  being  the  great  highway  of  nations,  we 
have  more  abundant  observations  on  this  than  on  other 
oceans,  but  similar  phenomena  exist  elsewhere.  Hum- 
boldt  mentions  having  seen,  in  the  Pacific,  at  a  vast  dis- 

*  If  the  butterfly  was  indeed  a  Morpho, — and  Mr  Dyson,  who  was  an 
experienced  lepidopterist,  could  scarcely  have  been  deceived  about  so 
remarkable  a  butterfly, — it  could  have  come  neither  from  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Isles  nor  the  Antilles,  but  from  the  continent  of  South  America, 
to  which  the  genus  Morpho  is  limited.  The  nearest  part  of  that  con- 
tinent is  not  less  than  oue  thousand  five  hundred  miles  from  the  posi- 
tion of  the  observer. 


INSECTS  AT  GREAT  ELEVATIONS.  87 

tance  from  the  coast,  large-winged  Lepidoptera  (butter- 
flies) fall  on  the  deck  of  the  ship. 

Equally  striking  is  the  presence  of  winged  insects  at 
very  lofty  elevations.  Saussure  found  butterflies  at  the 
summit  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  Kamond  observed  them  in 
the  solitudes  around  that  of  Mont  Perdu.  Captain 
Fremont  saw  honey-bees  at  the  top  of  the  loftiest  peak 
of  the  Kocky  Mountains  in  North  America,  the  height  of 
which  is  13,568  feet.  Dr  Hooker,  in  the  Himalaya  range, 
found  insects  plentiful  at  17,000  feet  ;  butterflies  of  the 
genera  Colias,  Hipparchia,  Melitcea,  and  Polyommatus, 
besides  beetles,  and  great  flies.  Humboldt  saw  butterflies 
among  perpetual  snow  at  yet  loftier  elevations  in  the 
Andes  of  Peru,  but  conjectured  that  they  had  been 
carried  thither  involuntarily  by  ascending  currents  of  air. 
And  the  same  great  philosopher,  when  ascending  Chim- 
borazo,  in  June  1802,  with  Bonpland  and  Montufar,  found 
winged  flies  (Diptera)  buzzing  around  him  at  the  height 
of  18,225  feet  ;  while  a  little  below  this  elevation  Bon- 
pland saw  yellow  butterflies  flying  over  the  ground. 

I  shall  close  this  category  with  two  examples  of  animal 
life  in  unwonted  situations,  less  scientifically  curious  it 
may  be  than  those  already  adduced,  but  more  amusing. 
That  fishes  should  fly  in  the  air  is  strange  enough,  but  we 
should  scarcely  expect  that  they  would  verify  their  gene- 
ric name  *  by  going  to  bed  out  of  water.  Yet  Kotzebue 
was  favoured  with  such  an  unexpected  bedfellow  :  — 

"  The  nights  being  warm,"  observes  the  voyager,  "  we 


*  Exocoetus,  the  name  of  the  flying-fish,  from  ega,  out, 
to  sleep.     The  Greeks  fancied  that  the  fish  left  the  water  to  sleep. 


88  DISCREPANCIES. 

always  sleep  on  deck,  to  recover  ourselves  from  the  heat  of 
the  day,  a  circumstance  which  occasioned  me  one  night 
a  very  unexpected  visit.  I  was  awakened  by  the  con- 
stant motion  of  a  very  cold  animal  at  my  side,  which, 
when  it  writhed  in  my  hand,  I  first  took  to  be  a  lizard. 
This,  I  thought,  might  perhaps  have  been  brought  on 
board  at  Chili,  with  the  wood.  But,  on  examining,  I 
found  that  it  was  a  flying-fish  that  I  had  in  my  hands, 
and  I  am  probably  the  first  that  has  caught  such  a  one 
in  bed."* 

The  other  incident  occurred  nearer  home. 

In  the  tremendous  gale  of  the  25th  October,  1859, 
which  did  so  much  damage  on  the  coast  of  South  Devon, 
a  curious  incident  occurred  to  a  gentleman  whose  house 
was  situated  close  to  the  water-side.  He  was  sitting  with 
his  parlour  window  open,  when  an  enormous  green  wave 
came  curling  towards  the  house,  and  discharged  its  force 
full  against  the  window.  There  was  no  time  to  shut  the 
window ;  but,  retreating  as  fast  as  he  could,  he  pulled 
the  door  of  the  room  after  him,  in  order  to  keep  the  sea 
as  far  as  practicable  from  the  rest  of  the  house.  After 
some  time  he  returned  to  see  what  amount  of  mischief 
was  done,  and,  entering  the  room,  found  the  floor  covered 
with  flapping  and  jumping  fishes.  The  wave  had  brought 
forward  a  shoal  of  whiting,  and  had  deposited  them  on 
the  good  man's  carpet ;  where  they  tossed,  much  to  his 
amusement  and  their  own  chagrin — fish  out  of  water. 

*   Voyage,  i.  p.  145. 


IV. 

MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

NATURAL  history  affords  not  a  few  instructive  examples 
of 

"  What  great  effects  from  little  causes  flow ;  " 

and  these  are  well  worthy  of  our  study,  as  presenting 
to  us  one  peculiar  aspect  of  the  wisdom  of  God,  with 
whom  nothing  is  great,  nothing  small.  Some  of  the 
mightiest  operations  in  nature  are  the  results  of  pro- 
cesses, and  the  works  of  agents,  apparently  feeble  and 
wholly  inadequate  to  produce  them ;  and  our  wonder  is 
excited  when  we  are  able  intelligently  to  trace  them  to 
their  causes.  I  propose,  therefore,  to  devote  this  chapter 
to  the  consideration  of  a  few  of  these,  which  come  more 
immediately  within  the  province  of  the  naturalist.  They 
may  be  classed,  according  to  the  nature  of  their  operations, 
as  either  constructive  or  destructive. 

How  many  a  poetic  dream  is  associated  with  the  sunny 
isles  of  the  Pacific !  What  a  halo  of  romance  encircles 
all  our  ideas  of  those  mirror-like  lagoons  in  the  midst  of 
the  great  ocean-waves,  those  long,  low  reefs  just  emerging 
from  the  sea,  on  which  the  cocoa-nut  palm  is  springing 
from  the  very  water's  edge!  Beautiful  they  are  in  our 
imagination,  as  we  have  realised  the  pictures  drawn  by 


90  MTJLTTJM  E  PAEVO. 

Oook,  and  Kotzebue,  and  Beechey,  by  Stewart  and  Ellis, 
Darwin  and  Cheever.  But,  when  we  know  that  these 
thousand  isles,  these  endless  reefs,  these  huge  barriers 
that  curb  the  furious  ocean,  are  produced  by  tiny,  soft- 
bodied  sea-anemones,  by  atoms  of  pulp,  sluggish  and 
seemingly  helpless  morsels  of  animated  jelly,  individually 
no  bigger  than  the  smallest  flower  that  nestles  in  the 
hedge-bank — our  wonder,  instead  of  being  dispersed  by 
our  philosophy,  is  deepened  and  incomparably  aug- 
mented by  it.  "  We  feel  surprise  when  travellers  tell  us 
of  the  vast  dimensions  of  the  Pyramids,  but  how  utterly 
insignificant  are  the  greatest  of  these  when  compared  to 
these  mountains  of  stone  accumulated  by  the  agency  of 
various  minute  and  tender  animals !  This  is  a  wonder 
which  does  not  at  first  strike  the  eye  of  the  body,  but, 
after  reflection,  the  eye  of  reason/'  * 

The  researches  of  the  eminent  naturalist  whose  words 
I  have  just  quoted,  have  shewn  us  that  the  coral  polype 
does  not  build  from  the  fathomless  depths  of  sea  which 
immediately  surround  these  reefs  and  islands.  He  seems 
to  imply,  indeed,  that  the  coral  animals  cannot  exist  at  a 
greater  depth  than  thirty  fathoms ;  but,  whatever  may 
be  the  case  in  tropical  seas,  we  have  already  seen  that 
living  corals  exist  and  build  compound  polypidoms  at  far 
greater  depths  in  our  northern  latitudes.  Assuming, 
however,  that  no  reef  is  commenced  deeper  than  thirty 
fathoms,  and  that  below  that  depth  the  building  instinct 
is  not  carried  on,  the  only  hypothesis  which  meets  all  the 
exigencies  presented  by  the  actual  phenomena  of  fring- 

*  Dai-win,  Nat.  Voy.,  chap.  xx. 


CORAL  STRUCTURES.  91 

ing  reefs,  encircling  or  barrier  reefs,  and  atolls  or  ring 
reefs,  is  that  propounded  and  ably  maintained  by  Darwin, 
that  the  whole  area  of  the  Pacific  is  slowly  sinking;  that 
all  the  reefs  and  islands  are  the  summits  of  former  moun- 
tains ;  that  all  the  coral  structures  were  originally  attached 
to  the  land  at  a  shallow  depth,  and  that,  to  whatever  depth 
below  they  now  extend,  it  is  only  in  a  dead  condition, 
and  has  been  effected  by  the  subsidence  of  the  supporting 
land  carrying  the  coral  with  it ;  while  the  successive  gene- 
rations of  the  living  polypes,  ever  working  upwards  on  the 
old  dead  foundation,  have  maintained  a  living  coral  struc- 
ture near  the  surface,  and  that  nearly  in  the  same  outline 
and  form  as  the  original  foundation. 

It  does  not  accord  with  my  purpose  to  enter  into  the 
details  of  this  beautiful  theory,  but  rather  to  present  my 
readers  with  some  vivid  pictures  of  the  wonderful  struc- 
tures themselves,  as  sketched  by  those  who  have  seen 
them.  In  coasting  along  a  tropical  reef,  the  extreme 
clearness  of  the  water  permits  the  coral  shrubs  and  groves 
to  be  distinctly  seen,  which  rise  from  the  blue  transparent 
depths.  They  take  various  forms — some  massive,  with 
meandering  channels  over  the  rounded  surface;  some 
forming  honey- combed  blocks  formed  by  the  union  of 
thin  plates  at  various  angles ;  many  growing  like  trees  or 
shrubs  with  .leafless  branches,  more  or  less  ramified,  and 
with  the  twigs  more  or  less  slender  and  pointed,  or  thick 
and  rounded.  Under  water,  the  whole  surface  is  covered 
with  a  layer  of  jelly-like  flesh,  of  many  brilliant  colours, 
formed  by  the  crowding  together  of  the  myriad  tiny 
polypes,  which  protrude  their  slender  tentacles  and  ex,- 


92  MITLTUM  E  PAEVO. 

panding  disks  from  the  individual  cells.  Even  when 
severed,  the  branches  are  exquisitely  beautiful  so  long 
as  they  retain  the  faint  purple  halo  that  plays  around 
their  ivory  tips,  but  which  soon  vanishes.  A  rude  touch 
beneath  the  water  will  cause  the  lovely  tints — brilliant 
crimson,  orange,  and  emerald  green — to  disappear,  by 
the  withdrawal  of  the  alarmed  polypes ;  but  they  soon 
protrude  again,  and  expand  in  their  original  loveliness. 

The  interest  with  which  these  gardens  are  contemplated 
is  enhanced  by  the  multitude  of  strange  creatures  which 
crawl  over  and  through  the  shrubs.  Fishes  of  the  most 
gorgeous  hues,  elegant  shells,  with  clouded  and  spotted 
animals  carrying  them,  nimble  prawns  of  crimson  and 
yellow,  long  gliding  green  worms,  and  purple  sea-urchins, 
with  enormous  spines,  here  find  their  home  and  live  at 
ease  beneath  the  unclouded  sun. 

The  dimensions  attained  by  the  labours  of  the  minute 
workmen  are  the  most  astonishing  part  of  the  spectacle. 
"Some  individual  specimens  of  Forties,  in  the  rock  of 
the  inner  reef  of  Tongatabu,  are  twenty-five  feet  in  dia- 
meter ;  and  Astreas  and  Meandrinas,  both  there  and  in 
the  Fejees,  measure  twelve  to  fifteen  feet.  The  platform 
resembles  a  Cyclopean  pavement,  except  that  the  cement- 
ing material  between  the  huge  masses  is  more  solid  than 
any  work  of  art  could  be. 

"  Sometimes  the  barrier  reef  recedes  from  the  shore, 
and  forms  wide  channels  or  inland  seas,  where  ships  find 
ample  room  and  depth  of  water,  exposed,  however,  to  the 
.danger  of  hidden  reefs.  The  reef  on  the  north-east  coast 


CORAL  LAGOONS.  93 

of  New  Holland  and  New  Caledonia  extends  four  hundred 
miles,  at  a  distance  varying  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles 
from  shore,  and  having  as  many  fathoms  of  depth  in  the 
channel.  West  of  the  large  Fejee  Islands  the  channel  is 
in  some  parts  twenty-five  miles  wide,  and  twelve  to  forty 
fathoms  in  depth.  The  sloop-of-war  Peacock  sailed  along 
the  west  coast  of  both  Viti  Lebu  and  Vanua  Lebu,  within 
the  inner  reefs,  a  distance  exceeding  two  hundred  miles. 

"  A  barrier  reef,  inclosing  a  lagoon,  is  the  general  form- 
ation of  the  coral  islands,  though  there  are  some  of 
small  size  in  which  the  lagoon  is  wanting.  These  are 
found  in  all  stages  of  development :  in  some  the  reef  is 
narrow  and  broken,  forming  a  succession  of  narrow  islets 
with  openings  into  the  lagoon ;  in  others  there  only 
remains  a  depression  of  surface  in  the  centre  to  indicate 
where  the  lagoon  originally  was.*  The  most  beautiful  are 
those  where  the  lagoon  is  completely  inclosed,  and  rests 
within,  a  quiet  lake.  Maraki,  one  of  the  Kingsmill 
group,  is  one  of  the  prettiest  coral  islands  of  the  Pacific. 
The  line  of  vegetation  is  unbroken,  and,  seen  from  the 
mast-head,  it  lies  like  a  garland  thrown  upon  the  waters. 

"When  first  seen  from  the  deck  of  a  vessel,  only  a 
series  of  dark  points  is  descried,  just  above  the  horizon. 
Shortly  after,  the  points  enlarge  into  the  plumed  tops  of 
cocoa-nut  trees,  and  a  line  of  green,  interrupted  at  intervals, 
is  traced  along  the  water's  surface.  Approaching  still 
nearer,  the  lake  and  its  belt  of  verdure  are  spread  out 
before  the  eye,  and  a  scene  of  more  interest  can  scarcely 

*  Thiss  does  not  agree  with  Darwin's  theory  of  subsidence. 


94  MULTUM  E  PAEVO. 

be  imagined.  The  surf,  beating  loud  and  heavy  along  the 
margin  of  the  reef,  presents  a  strange  contrast  to  the 
prospect  beyond — the  white  coral  beach,  the  massy  foliage 
of  the  grove,  and  the  embosomed  lake,  with  its  tiny  islets. 
The  colour  of  the  lagoon  water  is  often  as  blue  as  the 
ocean,  although  but  fifteen  or  twenty  fathoms  deep ;  yet 
shades  of  green  and  yellow  are  intermingled,  where  patches 
of  sand  or  coral  knolls  are  near  the  surface,  and  the  green 
is  a  delicate  apple  shade,  quite  unlike  the  usual  muddy 
tint  of  shallow  waters. 

"  These  garlands  of  verdure  seem  to  stand  on  the  brims 
of  cups,  whose  bases  root  in  unfathomable  depth.  Seven 
miles  east  of  Clermont  Tonnere,  the  lead  ran  out  to  eleven 
hundred  and  forty -five  fathoms,  (six  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seventy  feet)  without  reaching  bottom. 
Within  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  the  southern  point  of 
this  island,  the  lead  had  another  throw,  and,  after  running 
out  for  a  while,  brought  up  for  an  instant  at  three  hundred 
and  fifty  fathoms,  and  then  dropped  off  again  and  descended 
to  six  hundred  fathoms  without  reaching  bottom.  The 
lagoons  are  generally  shallow,  though  in  the  larger  islands 
soundings  gave  twenty  to  thirty-five,  and  even  fifty  and 
sixty  fathoms/'  * 

The  rate  at  which  coral  structures  are  formed  is  an 
interesting  subject  of  inquiry,  and  various  opinions  have 
been  formed  on  the  point,  some  affirming  that  no  percep- 
tible increase  takes  place  in  several  years,  others  that  the 
process  is  so  rapid,  that  the  Pacific  is  fast  filling  up. 
Darwin's  theory  of  subsidence  negatives  this  conclusion, 
*  Cheever's  Sandwich  Islands,  p.  152. 


EMPLOYMENT  OF  CORAL  BUILDERS.  95 

independently  of  the  ratio  of  growth.  There  are  facts 
on  record,  however,  which  imply  that,  in  certain  circum- 
stances, the  process  is  rapid.  A  channel  that  had  been 
dug  through  the  reef  of  Keeling  Atoll  for  the  passage 
of  a  schooner,  that  had  been  built  on  the  island,  from  the 
lagoon  into  the  sea,  was  found  ten  years  afterwards  to  be 
almost  choked  up  with  living  coral.  An  interesting 
experiment  was  tried  at  Madagascar,  by  securing  several 
masses  of  living  coral  by  stakes  three  feet  below  the  sur- 
face. Seven  months  afterwards  they  were  found  nearly 
reaching  to  the  surface,  firmly  cemented  to  the  rock, 
and  extended  laterally  several  feet ;  a  remarkably  rapid 
growth ! 

An  ingenious  inquiry  has  been  started,  whether  the 
coral  polypes  may  not  yet  be  employed  by  man  for  the 
construction  of  sea-walls  and  reefs,  in  places  within  or 
near  the  tropics,  where  they  are  needed.  Professor 
Agassiz  has  shewn  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  obtain  living 
specimens  of  the  zoophyte,  and  to  preserve  them,  so  as  to 
study  at  leisure  their  habits  and  motions.  Why,  then, 
it  has  been  asked,  as  we  employ  the  silk-worm,  and 
furnish  it  with  food  and  material  to  spin  for  us  our  silks, 
and  as  we  plant  and  form  beds  of  oysters  in  favourable 
locations,  where  we  please,  may  we  not  also  employ  the 
agency  of  the  coral  lithophyte,  to  lay  the  foundations,  for 
instance,  of  a  lighthouse,  or  to  form  a  breakwater  where 
one  is  needed  ?  Such  a  practical  result  is  by  no  means 
improbable,  from  the  minute  and  scientific  observations 
now  making  upon  these  busy  little  builders  of  the  deep.* 
*  Cheever's  Sandwich  Islands,  Appx.,  p.  310. 


96  MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

Let  us  look  now  at  another  class  of  labourers  by  whom 
mighty  deeds  are  performed,  though  the  performers  them- 
selves are  so  inconceivably  minute,  that  to  say  they  bear 
the  same  relation  to  the  coral  polype  that  a  mouse  does  to 
an  elephant,  would  be  greatly  to  overrate  their  dimensions. 
They  are,  in  fact,  invisible  to  the  sharpest  sight,  except 
when  aggregated  together.  I  refer  to  the  Diatomacece. 

Of  late  years  the  attention  of  microscopic  observers 
has  been  largely  and  increasingly  occupied  by  a  tribe  of 
organic  beings  which  are  found  to  exist  in  all  parts  of 
the  world,  in  fresh  and  salt  waters  chiefly,  and  present  a 
great  variety  of  species  as  well  as  of  form  and  markings. 
They  consist  of  a  glassy  shell,  formed  of  flint,  inclosing  a 
soft  coloured  substance,  generally  of  a  golden  yellow  or 
brown  hue.  This  is  called  the  endochrome,  and  the  shell 
is  called  the  frustule.  The  latter  has  a  determinate  form, 
which  often  assumes  extraordinary  elegance,  and  is  usually 
marked  with  series  of  specks,  which  are  either  knobs  or 
pits,  arranged  in  the  most  varied  and  exquisite  patterns. 
They  may  exist  either  as  isolated  forms,  or,  more  com- 
monly, as  united  into  long  chains,  or  other  connected 
figures.  These  are  called  Diatoms.  They  have  spontan- 
eous movements,  and  hence  they  were  considered,  when 
first  discovered,  to  be  animals ;  but  the  opinion  now 
generally  prevails,  that  they  are  plants  of  a  very  low 
grade. 

The  influence  of  these  tiny  atoms  upon  this  world  in 
which  we  live  is  almost  beyond  belief.  <-  The  whole 
bottom  of  the  ocean,"  observes  Dr  Barclay  Montgomery, 
"  seems  to  be  in  a  great  measure  made  up  of  these  bodies. 


DIATOMACE^E.  97 

Sir  John  Ross  and  other  Arctic  explorers  speak  of  a  large 
bank  called  the  Victoria  Barrier,  400  miles  long,  and  120 
miles  wide,  composed  almost  entirely  of  infusoria.  Dur- 
ing the  last  week  I  was  engaged  in  examining  a  sounding 
from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  at  the  depth  of  2000 
fathoms,  on  the  exact  spot  where  the  Atlantic  telegraph 
unfortunately  gave  way;  although  the  quantity  was 
minute,  still  I  discovered  a  great  number  of  interesting 
forms.  What  is  known  as  Tripoli  powder  in  the  arts 
consists  almost  entirely  of  fossil  deposits  of  the  siliceous 
coats  of  diatoms,  which  from  their  hardness  form  an 
excellent  means  of  polishing  metals  ;  these  fossil  deposits 
are  very  numerous  and  in  great  quantity  in  different  parts 
of  the  world.  The  town  of  Richmond,  in  the  United 
States,  is  built  upon  a  stratum  of  these  bodies  twenty  feet 
in  thickness ;  in  California  and  America  generally,  in 
Bohemia,  throughout  Europe  and  Africa,  and  even  in  our 
own  country,  we  find  similar  deposits,  varying  of  course 

in   the   different   species   present I   have   been 

enabled  to  examine  some  of  the  curious  raised  fossil  beach 
near  Copiapo  in  Chili,  which  is  gradually  forming  into 
stone.  Though  this  beach  is  one  mile  from  the  present 
shore,  and  180  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  yet  I  have 
found  in  it  diatoms  of  the  same  species  as  those  that 
occur  on  the  shore  at  the  present  day ;  the  diatoms  are 
also  found  in  a  fossil  state  in  peat,  coal,  bog  iron-ore, 
flint,  and  the  chalk  formation.  Thus,  in  a  geological  view, 
though  individually  invisible,  yet  numerically  they  per- 
form a  most  important  part  in  the  crust  of  the  earth — • 

G 


98  MULTUM  E  PAKVO. 

a  part  more  important  than  all  the  mighty  monsters  that 

lived  in  ages  past What  purpose  do  these  bodies 

serve  ?  It  is  highly  possible  that  they  form,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  food. of  all  the  minor  aquatic  animals  more 
highly  organised  than  themselves  ;  I  have  often  found,  on 
examining  shrimps,  that  their  stomachs,  which  are  situated 
behind  the  eyes,  are  entirely  filled  with  diatoms.  That 
the  siliceous  shell  passes  through  nearly  intact,  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  internal  structure, 
the  endochrome,  may  be  digested  and  form  the  nutritive 
portion ;  in  this  view  I  am  borne  out  by  referring  to 
guano — -a  most  prolific  source  of  fossil  diatoms.  Here 
we  find  abundance  of  siliceous  shells,  in  fact  their  presence 
or  absence  is  now  the  test  of  the  genuineness  of  the 
article; — these,  in  past  ages,  must  have  been  consumed 
by  small  marine  animals,  these  again  consumed  by  fish, 
and  these  in  their  turn  by  birds  :  in  guano  I  have  noticed 
the  proportion  of  diatoms  to  be  in  some  specimens  nearly 
1  in  500  parts.  A  correspondent  from  Callao,  writing  to 
the  Illustrated  London  News,  on  the  Cincha  guano 
islands,  says  the  export  of  guano  from  the  islands  has 
increased  considerably  during  the  last  ten  years  ;  between 
300,000  tons  and  400,000  tons  are  the  annual  amount  at 
present :  here,  in  a  very  moderate  calculation,  from  one 
spot  alone,  we  have  the  annual  removal  of  500  tons  of 
diatoms!'  * 

The  agency  of  these  mighty  but  minute  forms  has  been 
still  further  developed  in  some  researches  of  great  interest 
*  Report  of  Cornwall  Polyt.  Soc.  for  1857. 


DIATOMS  IN  THE  OCEAN.  99 

which  have  been  very  recently  published  by  Dr  Wallich. 
He  has  ascertained  that  they  exist  in  a  free,  swimming 
condition,  in  various  regions  of  the  ocean,  and  at  various 
depths  from  the  surface  downward ;  that  their  multitude 
is  incalculable ;  and  that  they  afford  sustenance  to  im- 
mense numbers  of  molluscous  and  crustaceous  animals, 
which  in  their  turn  constitute  the  food  of  the  most  gigan- 
tic creatures  of  the  deep.  Dr  Joseph  D.  Hooker  had  no- 
ticed the  vast  profusion  of  Diatomacece  in  the  Antarctic 
Sea ;  and  he  was  struck  by  the  conspicuous  appearance 
presented  by  their  masses  imbedded  in  the  substance  of 
the  ice,  or  washed  up  on  its  surface  by  the  action  of  the 
billows. 

Dr  Wallich  found  the  surface  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal  and 
the  Indian  Ocean  to  be  crowded  with  masses  of  minute 
life,  forming  yellow  streaks,  flakes,  and  tufts,  intermixed 
with  glistening  points,  which,  when  examined,  proved  to 
be  recognisable  forms  of  the  organisms  in  question.  The 
mighty  scale  on  which  the  Diatomacece  really  exist,  did 
not  become  manifest,  however,  until  he  reached  the  At- 
lantic, between  the  Cape  and  St  Helena.* 

"  It  was  here  that,  for  many  degrees,  and  in  bright, 
breezy  weather,  the  ship  passed  through  vast  layers  of 
sea-water  so  thronged  with  the  bodies  of  a  species  of 
Salpa  (S.  mucronata)  as  to  present  the  consistence  of  a 
jelly.  What  their  vertical  limits  were,  it  was  impossible 
to  discover,  owing  to  the  speed  at  which  the  ship  was 

*  See  Annals  Nat.  Hist,  for  January  1860;  and  Quarterly  Journ.  Micr. 
Sci.  for  January  1860. 


100  MTJLTUM  E  PARVO. 

moving.  They  appeared  to  extend  deep,  however,  and  in 
all  probability,  were  of  a  similar  character  to  the  aggre- 
gations of  what  is  called  whale-food  in  the  higher  lati- 
tudes. Each  of  these  Salpce  measured  about  half  an  inch 
in  length  ;  but  so  close  was  their  aggregation,  that,  by  a 
sudden  plunge  of  an  iron-rimmed  towing-net,  half  the 
cubic  contents,  from  which  all  water  had  percolated, 
generally  consisted  of  nothing  but  one  thick  gelatinous 
pulp.  Each  individual  presented  a  minute  yellow  diges- 
tive cavity,  of  the  size  of  a  millet-seed,  which  contained 
Diatomaceae,  Foraminifera,  and  other  organic  particles. 

"  If  we  take  into  account  the  numbers  of  Diatomacese 
and  Foraminifera  that  must  exist  in  order  to  afford  even 
a  small  integral  proportion  of  the  diet  of  these  creatures, 
the  vast  renewal  of  supply  that  must  be  perpetually  going 
on,  and  the  equally  vast  multitude  of  these  Diatom-con- 
sumers that  yield,  in  their  turn,  a  source  of  food  to  the 
gigantic  Cetaceans  and  other  large  creatures  of  the  sea, — 
it  becomes  possible,  in  some  measure,  at  least,  to  form  an 
estimate  of  the  manner  in  which  the  deep-sea  deposits 
become  accumulated." 

The  same  observer  has,  with  great  ingenuity,  applied 
these  facts  to  the  solution  of  that  much-vexed  question, 
the  origin  of  the  masses  of  flint  that  are  found  in  the 
chalk.  Diatoms  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  these 
nodules,  but  the  difficulty  was,  how  to  account  for  their 
aggregation  in  these  irregular  masses.  This  is  solved  by 
the  hypothesis  that  they  are  the  excrement  of  whales, — 
the  insoluble  remains  of  the  Diatoms,  originally  devoured 


ORIGIN  OF  CHALK-FLINTS.  101 

by  the  Molluscs,  which  in  their  turn  found  a  grave  in  the 
stomach  of  the  Cetacean.  "We  find  that  the  siliceous 
particles  of  the  Diatomacece,  Polycistina,  Acanthometrce, 
and  Sponges,  exist  not  only  in  a  state  of  the  utmost  purity, 
but  that  they  occur  precisely  in  that  state  of  minute  sub- 
division which  favours  the  solvent  or  aggregative  process 
in  an  eminent  degree.  We  see  that  they  are  gathered 
together  by  the  Salpae,  in  the  first  instance,  from  the  ele- 
ment in  which  they  live,  and  that  they  are  freed  of  all, 
or  nearly  all,  their  soft  portions,  by  the  action  of  the  di- 
gestive cavities  of  these  creatures.  We  find  that  the  Salpae 
again,  in  inconceivably  vast  numbers,  afford  almost  the 
entire  food  of  the  largest  orders  of  Cetaceans  ;  and  I  there- 
fore think  we  are  able  to  infer,  with  certainty,  that,  in 
the  complex  stomachs  and  intestines  of  the  latter,  the 
further  process  of  aggregation  of  siliceous  particles  goes 
on  upon  a  gigantic  scale,  aided  by  the  presence  of  the 
alkalies,  and  that  the  aggregated  masses  being  voided  at 
intervals,  slowly  subside,  without  interruption,  to  the  bed 
of  the  ocean/' 

Darwin  records  having  seen  clustered  objects  in  the 
sea  near  Keeling  Atoll,  which  he  does  not  name,  but 
which  from  the  figures  he  has  given  must  have  been 
Diatoms.  But  all  the  streaks  and  bands  of  colour  seen  on 
the  ocean  are  not  attributable  to  plants :  some  of  them 
are  certainly  of  an  animal  nature.  The  following  pheno- 
menon was  noticed  by  the  observer  last  named  on  the  coast 
of  Chili.  The  vessel  passed  through  broad  bands  of  red- 
dish water,  which  when  examined  microscopically  swarmed 


102  MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

with  minute  active  animalcules,  darting  about,  and  often 
exploding.  They  swam  by  the  aid  of  a  ring  of  vibratory 
cilia,  which  suggests  the  thought  of  the  larvae  of  some 
Annelid.  They  were  exceedingly  minute,  so  as  to  be  quite 
invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  being  not  more  than  one  thou- 
sandth of  an  inch  in  length.  Their  numbers  were  infinite, 
for  the  smallest  drop  of  water  which  could  be  removed 
contained  very  many.  Yet  in  one  day,  they  passed 
through  two  spaces  of  water  thus  stained,  one  of  which 
alone  must  have  extended  over  several  square  miles. 
How  utterly  inconceivable,  then,  must  have  been  the  mul- 
titude of  these  minute  creatures  ! 

Other  navigators  have  noticed  broad  expanses  of  the 
ocean  tinged  with  colour,  well  defined ;  as  the  red  water 
seen  by  M.  Lesson  off  Lima,  and  that  which  in  the  vicinity 
of  California  has  been  called  the  "  Vermilion  Sea ; "  to 
which  Sir  E.  Tennent  has  recently  added  the  sea  around 
Ceylon,  which  is  of  a  similar  hue,  and  which  he  has 
ascertained  to  be  owing  to  the  presence  of  infusorial 
animalcules.* 

Off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  Kotzebue  observed  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  a  dark  brown  streak,  about  twelve  feet 
wide,  and  extending  in  length  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  It  was  found  to  consist  of  an  innumerable  multi- 
tude of  minute  crabs,  and  the  seeds  [or  air-vessels  ?]  of  a 
submarine  alga. 

In  certain  parts  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  the  water,  instead 
of  being  colourless  and  transparent,  is  opaque,  and  of  a 

*  Ceylon,  i ,  p.  53.   . 


FORESTS  PLANTED  BY  FINCHES.  103 

deep  green  hue.  Scoresby  found  that  this  was  owing  to 
the  presence  of  excessiv  ely  numerous  microscopic  Medusce. 
He  computes  that  within  the  compass  of  two  square 
miles,  supposing  these  creatures  to  extend  to  the  depth  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  (which,  however,  is  scarcely 
probable,)  there  would  be  congregated  together  a  number 
which  eighty  thousand  persons,  counting  incessantly  from 
the  creation  till  now,  would  not  have  enumerated, 
though  they  worked  at  the  rate  of  a  million  a-week  !  yet 
it  is  calculated  that  the  area  occupied  by  this  "green 
water"  in  the  Greenland  Sea  is  not  less  than  20,000 
square  miles.  What  a  union  of  the  small  and  the  great 
is  here ! 

It  is  little  suspected  by  many  how  largely  small  seed- 
eating  animals,  and  especially  birds,  contribute  to  the 
clothing  of  the  earth  with  its  varied  vegetable  riches. 
Peculiar  provision  is  made  in  many  cases  for  the  dissemi- 
nation of  seeds,  in  their  own  structure,  of  which  the 
pappus  of  the  dandelion  and  the  adhesive  hooks  of  the 
burdock  are  examples  ;  but  this  is  largely  effected  also  in 
the  stomachs  of  birds,  the  seed  being  often  discharged 
not  only  uninjured,  but  made  more  ready  to  germinate 
by  the  heat  and  maceration  to  which  it  has  been  sub- 
jected. "  From  trivial  causes  spring  mighty  effects : " 
and  the  motto  has  been  illustrated  by  a  close  observer 
from  this  same  subject.  "  Doubtless  many  of  our  most 
richly  wooded  landscapes  owe  much  of  their  timber  to  the 
agency  of  quadrupeds  and  birds.  Linnets,  goldfinches, 
thrushes,  goldcrests,  &c.,  feed  on  the  seeds  of  elms,  firs, 


104  MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

and  ashes,  and  carry  them  away  to  hedge-rows,  where, 
fostered  and  protected  by  bush  and  bramble,  they  spring 
up  and  become  luxuriant  trees.  Many  noble  oaks  have 
been  planted  by  the  squirrel,  who  unconsciously  yields  no 
inconsiderable  boon  to  the  domain  he  infests.  Towards 
autumn  this  provident  little  animal  mounts  the  branches 
of  oak-trees,  strips  off  the  acorns  and  buries  them  in  the 
earth,  as  a  supply  of  food  against  the  severities  of  winter. 
He  is  most  probably  not  gifted  with  a  memory  of  suf- 
ficient retention  to  enable  him  to  find  every  one  he 
secretes,  which  are  thus  left  in  the  ground,  and  springing 
up  the  following  year,  finally  grow  into  magnificent  trees. 
Pheasants  devour  numbers  of  acorns  in  the  autumn,  some 
of  which  having  passed  through  the  stomach,  probably 
germinate.  The  nuthatch  in  an  indirect  manner  also 
frequently  becomes  a  planter.  Having  twisted  off  their 
boughs  a  cluster  of  beechnuts,  this  curious  bird  resorts  to 
some  favourite  tree,  whose  bole  is  uneven,  and  endeavours, 
by  a  series  of  manoeuvres,  to  peg  it  into  one  of  the 
crevices  of  the  bark.  During  the  operation  it  often- 
times fall  to  the  ground,  and  is  caused  to  germinate  by 
the  moisture  of  winter.  Many  small  beeches  are  found 
growing  near  the  haunts  of  the  nuthatch,  which  have 
evidently  been  planted  in  the  manner  described."  * 

Not  less  important,  perhaps,  are  the  results  of  the  de- 
structive than  those  of  the  constructive  propensities  and 
powers  of  minute  creatures.  Of  the  charming  Introduc- 
tion to  Entomology,  by  Messrs  Kirby  and  Spence,  no  less 

*  Zoologist,  p.  442. 


LOCUSTS.  105 

'  than  five  entire  epistles  are  occupied  with  the  injuries 
which  we  sustain  from  insects,  while  two  are  devoted  to 
the  benefits  they  yield  us.  The  former  is  almost  an  ap- 
palling array ;  the  injuries  done  to  us  in  our  field-crops, 
in  our  gardens,  in  our  orchards,  in  our  woods  and  forests, 
not  to  mention  those  which  attack  our  living  stock  or  our 
persons,  by  these  most  minute  of  creatures,  are  indeed 
well  calculated  to  impress  on  us  the  truth  of  that  Oriental 
proverb,  which  tells  us  that  the  smallest  enemy  is  not  to 
be  despised. 

The  locust  has  been  celebrated  in  all  ages  as  one  of  the 
scourges  of  God  ;  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  bear  testimony 
how  often  in  ancient  times,  and  with  what  effect,  it  was 
let  loose  upon  the  guilty  nations.  To  outward  appearance 
it  is  a  mere  grasshopper,  in  nowise  more  formidable  than 
one  of  those  crinking  merry-voiced  denizens  of  our 
summer-fields  that  children  chase  and  capture ;  yet  with 
what  terror  is  it  beheld  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  East ! 
The  speech  which  Mohammed  attributed  to  a  locust 
graphically  represents  the  popular  estimate  of  its  powers : 
— "  We  are  the  army  of  the  great  God ;  we  produce 
ninety-nine  eggs;  if  the  hundred  were  complete  we 
should  consume  the  whole  earth  and  all  that  is  in  it." 

It  is  only  a  short  time  since  the  public  papers  were 
occupied  with  articles  expressing  the  most  gloomy  fears 
for  the  noble  oak  and  pine  forests  of  Germany.  It  was 
stated  that  millions  of  fine  trees  had  already  fallen  under 
the  insidious  attacks  of  a  beetle,  a  species  of  extreme 
minuteness,  which  lays  its  eggs  in  the  bark,  whence  the 


106  MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

larvae  penetrate  between  the  bark  and  the  wood,  and 
destroy  the  vital  connexion  between  these  parts,  inter- 
rupting the  course  of  the  descending  sap,  and  inducing 
rapid  decay  and  speedy  death. 

In  the  north  of  France,  the  public  promenades  are 
almost  everywhere  shaded  by  avenues  of  noble  elms.  In 
very  many  cases  these  trees  are  fast  disappearing  before 
the  assaults  of  a  similar  foe.  And  the  grand  old  elms  of 
our  own  metropolitan  parks  and  gardens  are  becoming  so 
thinned,  that  great  alarm  has  been  felt,  and  the  resources 
of  science  employed  for  the  checking  of  the  mischief. 
Fifty  thousand  trees,  chiefly  oaks,  have  also  been  destroyed 
in  the  Bois  de  Vincennes,  near  Paris.  In  all  these  cases 
the  minute  but  mighty  agent  has  been  some  species  or 
other  of  the  genus  Scolytus. 

Fortunately  in  this  clime  we  know  only  by  report  the 
consumptive  energy  of  the  termites,  or  white-ants  ;  "  cala- 
mitas  Indiarum"  Wood,  timber  of  all  kinds,  with  one 
or  two  exceptions,  is  the  object  of  their  attacks  ;  and  so 
unrelenting  is  their  perseverance,  so  incredible  are  their 
numbers,  that  all  the  wood-work  of  a  house  disappears 
before  them  in  the  course  of  a  night  or  two ;  though  in- 
dividually they  are  about  the  size  of  the  common  red  ant 
of  our  woods.  They  have  an  aversion  to  the  light,  and 
invariably  work  under  cover:  hence,  in  attacking  a  tree,  a 
post,  a  rafter,  or  a  table,  they  eat  out  the  interior,  leaving 
the  thinnest  possible  layer  of  the  outer  wood  remaining. 
It  frequently  happens  that,  after  their  depredations  have 
been  committed,  no  indication  of  the  work  appears  to  the 


WHITE- ANTS.  107 

eye,  but  the  least  touch  suffices  to  bring  down  the  ap- 
parently solid  structure,  like  a  house  of  cards,  amidst  a 
cloud  of  blinding  dust.  If,  however,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  supporting  posts  of  a  house,  any  incumbent  weight 
has  to  be  sustained,  they  have  the  instinct  to  guard  against 
the  crash  which  would  involve  themselves  in  ruin,  by 
gradually  filling  up  the  hollowed  posts  with  a  sort  of 
mortar,  leaving  only  a  slender  way  for  their  own  travel ; 
thus  the  posts  are  changed  from  wood  to  stone,  and  re- 
tain their  solidity. 

Forbes  in  his  Oriental  Memoirs*  has  recorded  a 
curious,  but  by  no  means  unusual  example  of  the  ravages 
of  the  termites.  Having  had  occasion  to  shut  up  an 
apartment,  he  observed,  on  returning  after  a  few  weeks,  a 
number  of  the  well-known  covered  ways  leading  across 
the  room  to  certain  engravings  hung  in  frames.  The 
glasses  appeared  to  be  uncommonly  dull,  and  the  frames 
covered  with  dust.  "  On  attempting,"  says  he,  "  to  wipe  it 
off,  I  was  astonished  to  find  the  glasses  fixed  to  the  wall, 
not  suspended  in  frames  as  I  left  them,  but  completely 
surrounded  by  an  incrustation  cemented  by  the  white 
ants,  who  had  actually  eaten  up  the  deal  frames  and 
backboards,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  paper,  and  left 
the  glasses  upheld  by  the  incrustation  or  covered  way, 
which  they  had  formed  during  their  depredations." 

Smeathman  tells  of  a  pipe  of  old  Madeira  wine  hav- 
ing been  tapped  and  entirely  lost  by  a  band  of  these 
insects,  who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the  oak  staves  of  the 
*  Vol.  i.,  p.  362. 


108  MULTUM  E  PAEVO. 

cask.  And  Sir  E.  Tennent  appears  to  have  fared  no 
better ;  for  he  complains  that,  in  Ceylon,  he  had  a  case  of 
wine  filled,  in  the  course  of  two  days,  with  almost  solid 
clay,  and  only  discovered  the  presence  of  the  white  ants 
by  the  bursting  of  the  corks. 

They  find  their  way  into  bureaux  and  cabinets,  and 
greedily  devour  all  papers  and  parchments  therein,  and 
"  a  shelf  of  books  will  be  tunnelled  into  a  gallery,  if  it 
happen  to  be  in  their  line  of  march."  Hence,  as  Hum- 
boldt  observes,  throughout  the  equinoctial  regions  of 
America, — and  the  same  is  true  in  similar  climates  of  the 
Old  World,  indeed,  in  all,  where  very  special  precautions 
are  not  taken  against  it, — it  is  infinitely  rare  to  find  any 
records  much  more  than  half  a  century  old. 

But  though  the  exercise  of  their  instinct  brings  these 
little  insects  into  collision  with  man,  and  so  far  they  act 
as  his  enemies,  abundantly  making  up  in  pertinacity  and 
consociation  what  they  lack  in  individual  force, — we  shall 
greatly  misunderstand  their  mission  if  we  look  at  it  only 
in  this  aspect.  As  an  example  of  mean  agents  perform- 
ing great  deeds,  we  must  see  them  far  from  the  haunts  of 
man,  engaged  as  the  scavengers  of  the  forest- wilds  of  the 
tropics  ;  the  removers  of  fallen  trees,  of  huge  giants  of  the 
woods,  commissioned  to  get  rid  of  those  enormous  bulks 
of  timber,  which,  having  stood  in  stately  grandeur  and 
rich  life  for  a  thousand  years,  have  at  length  yielded  to 
death.  Not  long  does  the  vast  mass  lie  cumbering  the 
soil  beneath:  the  termites  attack  it,  enter  its  substance 
from  the  ground,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  sue- 


FOREST-SCAVENGERS.  109 

ceed  in  so  emptying  it,  as  to  leave  it  a  mere  deceptive 
shell,  on  which  if  you  step,  to  use  the  comparison  of 
Smeathman,  "you  might  as  well  tread  upon  a  cloud." 

We  presume  that,  in  the  following  description  of  a 
scene  in  Brazil,  we  may  understand  the  insects  of  which 
we  are  now  speaking,  though  the  traveller  calls  them 
"ants:"— 

"A  number  of  tall,  prostrate  trees  were  lying  about, 
upon  which  large  columns  of  ants  of  all  kinds  moved 
busily  to  and  fro.  In  penetrating  into  the  depths  of  the 
primeval  forest,  one  sees  evidence  at  every  step  that  these 
minute  creatures  are  the  destroyers  of  the  colossal  trees, 
whose  strength  braves  all  the  attacks  of  storm  and  wind. 
A  striking  instance  is  this  of  how  small  are  often  the 
means  which  the  Creator  employs  to  produce  the  mightiest 
results;  for  what  greater  disproportion  can  be  imagined 
than  between  an  ant  and  one  of  these  giants  of  the  forest? 
No  sooner  is  a  tree  attacked  by  them  than  it  is  doomed  ; 
its  size  and  strength  are  of  no  avail ;  and  frequently  these 
little  insects  will  destroy  it  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
bark  alone  remains,  and  all  the  woody  fibres  crumble 
away,  until  the  tall  tree  falls  at  length  to  the  ground  with 
a  tremendous  crash,  a  prey  to  the  united  and  persevering 
attacks  of  millions  and  millions  of  the  ants.  Besides 
these  proofs  of  the  destructive  power  of  these  insects,  the 
forests  along  the  Estrada  exhibit  evidence  of  their  skill 
in  the  pyramidical  ant-hills,  similar  to  those  we  had  seen 
on  the  coast  of  the  province  of  Kio  de  Janeiro.  We 
also  observed  large  trunks  of  trees  pierced  with  deep 


110  MULTUM  E  PAKVO. 

holes,  having  the  appearance  of  filigree  on  a  grand  scale. 
This,  too,  was  probably  the  work  of  these  destructive 
insects.'"* 

In  Africa,  there  are  flies  which  are  the  actual  lords  of 
certain  extensive  districts,  ruling  with  so  absolute  a  sway, 
that  not  only  man  and  his  cattle  are  fain  to  submit  to 
them,  but  even  the  most  gigantic  animals,  the  elephants 
and  rhinoceroses,  cannot  stand  before  them.  There  is  the 
zirrib  of  Abyssinia,  the  very  sound  of  whose  dreaded  hum 
sends  the  herds  from  their  pastures,  and  makes  them  run 
wildly  about,  till  they  drop  with  fatigue,  fright,  and  hun- 
ger. There  is  no  resource  for  the  pastoral  inhabitants 
but  instantly  to  vacate  the  country,  and  retire  with  their 
herds  to  their  nearest  sands,  where  they  will  not  be  mo- 
lested. This  they  would  do,  though  they  knew  that  hos- 
tile bands  of  robbers  were  waylaying  them.  Such  is  the 
terror  of  a  fly.f 

Quite  as  formidable  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
same  continent  is  the  dreaded  tsetse,  like  the  zvrrib  one  of 
the  Tabanidce,  though  a  different  species.  This  insect, 
which  is  scarcely  larger  than  our  house-fly,  reigns  over 
certain  districts,  attacking  the  domestic  animals.  Its 
bite  is  certain  death  to  the  ox,  horse,  and  dog;  yet, 
strange  to  say,  it  produces  no  serious  inconvenience  to 
the  human  body,  nor  apparently  to  the  wild  game  of 
the  country — the  buffaloes,  giraffes,  antelopes,  and  zebras, 
which  roam  by  millions  over  the  same  plains. 

The  effect  on  the  smitten  beast  is  not  immediate,  nor 

*  Adalbert's  Travels,  il,  p.  237.  f  Bruce's  Travels,  ii.,  p.  315. 


THE  GOLUBACSER  FLY.  Ill 

does  the  buzz  produce  the  terror  which  that  of  the  zimb 
does.  It  is  not  till  after  several  days  that  the  poison 
begins  to  manifest  its  effect:  then  the  eyes  and  nose  dis- 
charge freely,  the  animal  swells,  and  becomes  gradually 
emaciated,  till  at  length  violent  purging  supervenes,  and 
the  animal  perishes,  the  whole  blood  and  flesh  being  unna- 
turally altered  in  condition* 

Nor  is  Europe  wholly  free  from  such  plagues.  There 
is,  in  Servia  and  the  Banat,  a  minute  fly,f  from  whose 
destructive  assaults  on  the  cattle  the  inhabitants  have 
suffered  immense  losses.  A  traveller,  arriving  at  Golu- 
bacs,  on  the  Danube,  thus  speaks  of  it: — 

"  Near  this  place  we  found  a  range  of  caverns,  famous 
for  producing  the  poisonous  fly,  too  well  known  in  Servia 
and  Hungary  under  the  name  of  the  Golubacser  fly.  These 
singular  and  venomous  insects,  somewhat  resembling 
musquitoes,  generally  make  their  appearance  during  the 
first  great  heat  of  the  summer,  in  such  numbers  as  to 
appear  like  vast  volumes  of  smoke.  Their  attacks  are 
always  directed  against  every  description  of  quadruped, 
and  so  potent  is  the  poison  they  communicate,  that  even 
an  ox  is  unable  to  withstand  its  influence,  for  he  always 
expires  in  less  than  two  hours.  This  results,  not  so  much 
from  the  virulence  of  the  poison,  as  that  every  vulnerable 
part  is  simultaneously  covered  with  these  most  destructive 
insects ;  when  the  wretched  animals,  frenzied  with  pain, 
rush  wild  through  the  fields  till  death  puts  a  period  to 

*  Livingstone's  Travels,  p.  80,  et  seq. 
t  SimnJium  Columbaschense,  Koll. 


112  MULTUM  E  PARVO. 

their  sufferings,  or  they  accelerate  dissolution  by  plunging 
headlong  into  the  rivers. "  * 

Perhaps  worse,  however,  than  these,  or  any  of  them, 
are  the  musquitoea;  not  that  their  virulence  or  fatality 
equals  that  of  the  tsetse  or  zimb,  but  because  they  are 
almost  universally  distributed.  Those,  terrible  as  they 
are,  are  limited  to  certain  districts,  but  the  musquito  is 
ubiquitous,  and  everywhere  is  a  pest  and  a  torment. 
One  needs  to  spend  a  night  among  nmsquitoes  to  under- 
stand what  a  true  plague  of  flies  is.  Hundreds  of  tra- 
vellers might  be  cited  on  the  subject,  and  if  I  adduce  the 
following  testimony,  it  is  not  because  it  is  the  strongest  I 
could  find,  but  because  it  is  one  of  the  most  recent,  and 
therefore  least  known  : — 

That  traveller  of  all  travellers,  Mr  Atkinson,  who  has 
laid  open  to  us  the  most  magnificent  scenery  of  the  world, 
and  the  most  inaccessible,  to  whom  neither  the  most  fear- 
ful chasms  and  precipices,  nor  boiling  torrents  and  swift 
rivers,  nor  earthquakes  and  furious  storms,  nor  eternal 
frost  and  snow,  nor  burning  waterless  steppes,  nor  robbers, 
nor  wild  beasts,  presented  any  impediment, — fairly  con- 
fesses his  conqueror  in  the  musquito.  The  gnat  alone,  of 
all  creatures,  elicits  from  him  a  word  of  dread ; — he  could 
not  brave  the  musquitoes.  Over  and  over  he  tells  us  in 
his  mountain  scrambles,  that  the  musquitoes  were  there 
"in  millions," — that  they  were  "taking  a  most  savage 
revenge  on  him  for  having  sent  his  horses  out  of  their 
reach,"  —  that  they  were  "devouring"  him, — that  he 

*  Spence's  Travels  in  Circassia,  i.,  p.  59. 


MOSQUITOES.  113 

• 

"neither  dared  to  sleep  nor  to  look  out;" — that  "  the  hum- 
ming sound  of  the  millions  was  something  awful;" — that 
he  found  himself  "in  the  very  regions  of  torment/'  which 
"  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  endure  ; " — that  "  the  poor 
horses  stood  with  their  heads  in  the  smoke,  as  a  protection 
against  the  pests ; " — and  that  "  to  have  remained  on  the 
spot  would  have  subjected  them  to  a  degree  of  torment 
neither  man  nor  beast  could  endure,  so  that  they  were 
obliged  to  retreat."  "I  wish  I  could  say,"  he  feelingly 
adds,  "  that  we  left  the  enemy  in  possession  of  the  field. 
Not  so ;  they  pursued  us  with  blood-thirsty  pertinacity, 
until  we  reached  some  open  meadows,  when  they  were 
driven  back  into  their  fenny  region  by  a  breeze, — I  hope 
to  prey  on  each  other." 

*  Atkinson's  Siberia,  p.  75,  et  passim. 


V. 
THE  VAST. 

THOUGH  great  and  small  must  always  be  comparative 
terms,  the  human  mind  does  ordinarily  set  up  some 
standard  of  dimensions,  for  this  or  that  particular  class  of 
entities,  and  is  affected  with  emotions  of  surprise  and 
admiration,  in  proportion  as  some  examples  either  exceed 
or  fall  short  of  it.  In  living  creatures,  probably,  the 
human  body  is  the  tacitly  recognised  medium  of  size ;  for 
we  call  a  horse  or  a  buffalo  a  large  animal,  a  cat  or  a 
weasel  a  small  one ;  while,  in  such  as  pass  beyond  these 
limits  in  either  direction,  we  are  conscious  that  the  dimen- 
sion becomes  a  prominent  element  in  the  interest  with 
which  we  regard  them.  The  first  exclamation  of  one  who 
sees  an  elephant  for  the  first  time,  would  probably  be, 
"  How  big  he  is ! "  and  in  like  manner  the  first  impression 
produced  by  a  humming-bird,  in  most  cases,  would  not 
be  "  How  beautiful !  How  glittering ! "  but  "  How  very 
small!" 

I  well  remember  the  interest  and  almost  awe  with  which, 
on  my  first  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  I  saw  suddenly 
emerge  from  the  sea,  the  immense  black  oily  back  of  a 
whale.  It  was  almost  close  to  the  ship,  and  it  rose  like  a 


WHALES.  115 

great  smooth  bank  out  of  the  water,  gave  a  sort  of  wallow- 
ing roll,  and  quietly  sank  from  sight  again.  The  excite- 
ment of  the  momentary  sight  prevented  my  attempting  to 
estimate  its  measurement,  besides  that  the  entire  animal 
was  not  exposed,  but  it  seemed  to  me  nearly  as  large  as 
the  vessel  in  which  I  sailed.  The  species  was  no  doubt 
the  great  rorqual,  since  the  whalebone  whale  is  said  never 
to  venture  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Arctic  Seas.  This  is 
the  most  enormous  of  all  the  animals  known  to  inhabit 
this  globe,  attaining  a  length  of  a  hundred  feet  and  even 
more.  The  skeleton  of  one  which  was  stranded  near 
Ostend  in  1827,  which  was  subsequenty  exhibited  in  Paris 
and  London,  measured  ninety-five  feet.  Two  specimens 
have  been  measured  of  the  length  of  a  hundred  and  five 
feet,  and  Sir  Arthur  de  Capel  Brooke  asserts  that  it  is 
occasionally  seen  of  the  enormous  dimensions  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet.* 

The  "right"  or  whalebone  whale,  the  object  of  commer- 
cial enterprise  in  the  Polar  Seas,  is  little  more  than  half 
as  large  as  this  last-named  bulk.  Eighty  and  a  hundred 
feet  are  mentioned,  indeed,  by  the  earlier  writers,  as  occa- 
sional dimensions  of  this  species,  but  these  statements  are 
possibly  exaggerations,  or  else  the  distinction  between 
this  and  the  rorqual  may  have  been  overlooked.  A  tra- 
dition exists  of  one  Ochter,  a  Norwegian,  of  King  Alfred's 

*  The  gigantic  whales  that  inhabit  the  Indian  Ocean  are  probably  of 
this  genus.  One  was  stranded  on  the  Chittagong  coast  in  August  1 842, 
which  measured  ninety  feet  in  length  and  forty-two  in  diameter ;  and 
another  on  the  coast  of  Aracan  in  1851,  which  was  eighty-four  feet 
long.  (See  Zoologist  for  December  1859,  p.  6778.) 


116  THE  VAST. 

day,  who  "  was  one  of  six  that  had  killed  sixty  whales  in 
two  days,  of  which  some  were  forty-eight,  some  fifty  yards 
long."  The  discrimination  here  would  seem  to  imply 
actual  measurement,  though  perhaps  it  was  not  very 
precise.  At  present,  nothing  like  such  a  length  is  attained. 
The  late  Dr  Scoresby,  who  was  personally  engaged  in  the 
capture  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  whales,  never 
found  one  of  this  species  that  exceeded  sixty  feet.  There  is, 
however,  one  caveat  needful  to  be  remembered ;  that  an 
animal  naturally  long-lived,  and  which  probably  grows 
throughout  life,  is  not  likely  to  attain  anything  like  its 
full  dimensions  when  incessantly  persecuted  as  the  whale 
of  the  Arctic  Seas  has  been  for  ages  past.  However,  a 
whale  of  sixty  feet  is  estimated  to  weigh  seventy  tons,  or 
more  than  three  hundred  fat  oxen. 

The  sperm-whale  or  cachalot,  whose  home  is  the  vast 
Pacific,  from  north  to  south  and  from  east  to  west,  holds 
a  place  as  to  bulk  between  the  whalebone  whale  and  the 
rorqual.  Mr  Beale,  who  is  the  authority  in  all  that 
concerns  this  animal,  gives  eighty-four  feet  as  the  length 
of  a  sperm  whale  of  the  largest  size,  and  its  diameter 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet.  Of  this  huge  mass,  the  head 
occupies  about  one  third  of  the  entire  length,  with  a 
thickness  little  inferior  to  that  of  the  body ;  while,  as  this 
thickness  is  equal  throughout,  the  front  of  the  head  ter- 
minating abruptly,  as  if  an  immense  solid  block  had  been 
sawn  off,  this  part  of  the  animal  bears  no  small  resemblance 
to  an  immense  box.  The  appearance  of  a  whale  when 
disturbed,  and  going  what  seamen  call  "head-out,"  this 


THE  ELEPHANT.  117 

vast  bluff  head  projected  every  few  seconds  out  of  water, 
has  a  most  extraordinary  appearance. 

Undoubtedly  the  largest  of  terrestrial  animals  is  the 
elephant, 

"  The  huge  earth-shaking  beast; 
The  beast  on  whom  the  castle 

With  all  its  guards  doth  stand; 
The  beast  that  hath  between  his  eyes 

The  serpent  for  a  hand." 

But  the  specimens  with  which  we  are  familiar  in  our 
ecological  gardens  and  menageries,  are  inadequate  repre- 
sentatives of  the  race.  It  is  in  their  native  regions,  of 
course,  that  we  look  for  the  most  magnificent  specimens. 
Some  exaggeration,  however,  has  prevailed  respecting  the 
dimensions  attainable  by  the  elephant.  "  Seventeen  to 
twenty  feet "  have  been  given  as  its  occasional  height  in 
the  Madras  presidency.  The  Emperor  Baber,  in  his 
Memoirs,  alludes  to  the  report  that  in  the  islands  the 
elephants  attain  ten  gez,  or  about  twenty  feet;  but  he 
adds,  "  I  have  never  seen  one  above  four  or  five  gez/'  (eight 
or  ten  feet.)  The  East  India  Company's  standard  was 
seven  feet  and  upwards,  measured  at  the  shoulder.  Mi- 
Corse  says  the  greatest  height  ever  measured  by  him  was 
ten  feet  six  inches.  As  an  example  of  the  deceptiveness 
of  a  mere  conjecture  even  by  experienced  persons,  he 
mentions  the  case  of  an  elephant  belonging  to  the  Nabob 
of  Decca,  which  was  said  to  be  fourteen  feet  high.  Mr 
Corse  wished  to  measure  particularly,  as  he  himself  judged 
him  to  be  twelve  feet.  The  driver  assured  him  that  the 
beast  was  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet ; — yet  when  care- 


118  THE  VAST. 

fully  measured,  he  did  not  exceed  ten  feet.  The  Ceylon 
specimens  rarely  exceed  nine  feet ;  yet  Wolf  says,  he  saw 
one  taken  near  Jaffna,  which  measured  twelve  feet  one 
inch,  of  course  to  the  arch  of  the  back. 

The  elephants  of  the  farther  peninsula  much  excel  those 
of  India  and  Ceylon,  perhaps  because  they  are  less  dis- 
turbed. The  skeleton  of  one  in  the  museum  at  St  Peters- 
burg, which  was  sent  to  Peter  the  Great  by  the  Shah  of 
Persia,  measures  sixteen  feet  and  a  half  in  height ;  and 
probably  this  is  the  highest  authentic  instance  on  record. 

The  African  elephant  is  perhaps  not  inferior  to  that  of 
Pegu.  Mr  Pringle,  in  a  very  graphic  picture,  has  described 
an  unexpected  rencontre  with  an  enormous  elephant  in  an 
African  valley.  "  We  halted,  and  surveyed  him  for  a  few 
minutes  in  silent  admiration  and  astonishment.  He  was, 
indeed,  a  mighty  and  magnificent  creature.  The  two 
engineer  officers,  who  were  familiar  with  the  appearance 
of  the  elephant  in  his  wild  state,  agreed  that  the  animal 
before  us  was  at  least  fourteen  feet  in  height."  Major 
Denham  in  his  expedition  into  Central  Africa,  met  with 
some  which  he  guessed  to  be  sixteen  feet  high ;  but  one 
which  he  saw  killed,  and  which  he  characterises  as  "  an 
immense  fellow,"  measured  twelve  feet  six  to  the  back.* 
Fossil  remains  of  an  elephant  have  been  discovered  at 
Jubbalpore,  which  measure  fifteen  feet  to  the  shoulder. 

I  need  only  advert  to  other  colossal  quadrupeds,  the 

*  Sir  E.  Tennent,  (Ceylon,  ii.,  p.  291,)  quoting  this  account,  says  "  nine 
feet  six  inches ;  "  but  this  is  a  mis-reading.  It  was  nine  feet  six  inches 
to  the  hip-bone  ;  and  three  feet  more  to  the  back. 


THE  CONDOR.  119 

seven  or  eight  species  of  rhinoceros,  the  hippopotamus, 
the  giraffe,  the  camel,  the  gaur,  the  gayall,  and  other  great 
wild  oxen  of  India ;  the  urus,  the  bison,  the  Cape  buffalo, 
the  eland.  Most  of  these  dwell  in  the  poor  and  arid 
regions  of  South  Africa;  where  the  nakedness  of  the 
country  permits  them  to  be  seen  to  advantage.  Dr  An- 
drew Smith,  in  one  day's  march  with  the  bullock- waggons 
saw,  without  wandering  to  any  great  distance  on  either 
side,  between  one  hundred  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  rhino- 
ceroses, which  belonged  to  three  species  ;  the  same  day  he 
saw  several  herds  of  giraffes,  amounting  together  to  nearly 
a  hundred ;  and,  though  no  elephants  were  observed,  yet 
they  are  found  in  this  district.  At  the  distance  of  little 
more  than  an  hour's  march  from  their  place  of  encamp- 
ment on  the  previous  night,  his  party  actually  killed  at 
one  spot  eight  hippopotamuses,  and  saw  many  more. 
In  this  same  river  there  were  likewise  crocodiles. 

Among  birds,  the  condor  of  the  Andes  has  been  the 
subject  of  greatly  exaggerated  reports  of  its  dimen- 
sions. When  it  was  first  discovered  by  the  Spanish  con- 
querors of  America,  it  was  compared  to  the  Rokh  of 
Arabian  fable,  and  by  some  even  considered  to  be  the 
identical  bird,  "which  is  able  to  trusse  an  elephant." 
Garcilasso  states  that  some  of  those  killed  by  the 
Spaniards  measured  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet  (the  vagueness 
of  the  "  or"  in  what  professes  to  be  actual  measurement 
is  suspicious)  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  extended  wings.  He 
adds  that  two  will  attack  a  bull  and  devour  it,  and  that 
single  individuals  will  slay  boys  of  twelve  years  old. 


120  THE  VAST. 

Desmarchais  improves  upon  this ;  stretches  the  expan- 
sion of  the  wings  to  eighteen  feet ;  a  width  so  enormous 
that,  as  he  says,  the  bird  can  never  enter  the  forest ;  and 
he  declares  that  a  single  one  will  attack  a  man,  and 
carry  off  a  stag. 

A  modern  traveller,  however,  soars  far  beyond  these 
puny  flights  of  imagination,  and  gravely  gives  forty  feet 
as  the  measurement,  carefully  noted,  as  he  informs  us, 
"  with  his  own  hand/'  from  the  actual  specimen.  It  is 
only  charitable  to  conclude  that  he  really  measured  sixteen 
feet,  and  that  he  either  wrote  "  spaces  "  by  mistake,  or, 
which  is  most  likely,  wrote  simply  "16,"  translating  it 
afterwards  when  he  compared  his  notes  with  what  others 
had  said  before  him.  Here,  however,  is  the  veracious 
description,  which  the  reader  will  see  does  not  lack 
romance  in  its  embellishment. 

"  It  was  so  satiated  with  its  repast  on  the  carcass  of  a 
horse,  as  to  suffer  me  to  approach  within  pistol-shot 
before  it  extended  its  enormous  wings  to  take  flight, 
which  was  to  me  the  signal  to  fire ;  and  having  loaded 
with  an  ample  charge  of  pellets,  my  aim  proved  effectual 
and  fatal.  What  a  formidable  monster  did  I  behold, 
screaming  and  flapping  in  the  last  convulsive  struggle  of 
life  1  It  may  be  difficult  to  believe  that  the  most  gigantic 
animal  which  inhabits  the  earth  or  the  ocean,  can  be 
equalled  in  size  by  a  tenant  of  the  air ;  and  those  persons 
who  have  never  seen  a  larger  bird  than  our  mountain 
eagle,  will  probably  read  with  astonishment  of  a  species 
of  that  same  bird,  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  being  so 


THE  CONDOR.  121 

large  and  strong  as  to  seize  an  ox  with  its  talons,  and  to 
lift  it  into  the  air,  whence  it  lets  it  fall  to  the  ground,  in 
order  to  kill  it  and  prey  upon  the  carcass.  But  this 
astonishment  must,  in  a  great  measure,  subside  when  the 
dimensions  of  the  bird  are  taken  into  consideration,  and 
which,  incredible  as  they  may  appear,  I  now  insert  from 
a  note  taken  by  my  own  hand.  When  the  wings  are 
spread  they  measure  sixteen  spaces,  forty  feet  in  extent 
from  point  to  point.  The  feathers  are  eight  spaces, 
twenty  feet  in  length,  and  the  quill  part,  two  palms, 
eight  feet  in  circumference.  It  is  said  to  have  strength 
enough  to  carry  off  a  living  rhinoceros."  * 

Humboldt  dissipated  these  extravagances;  though  he 
confesses  that  it  appeared  to  himself  of  colossal  size,  and 
it  was  only  the  actual  admeasurement  of  a  dead  specimen 
that  corrected  the  optical  illusion.  He  met  with  no  ex- 
ample that  exceeded  nine  feet,  and  he  was  assured  by 
many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Quito  that  they  had  never 
shot  any  that  exceeded  eleven.  This  estimate,  however, 
appears  to  be  below  the  reality ;  for  Tschudi,  a  most  care- 
ful and  reliable  authority,  and  an  accomplished  zoologist, 
assigns  to  this  bird  in  one  place  an  expanse  of  "from 
twelve  to  thirteen  feet/'  while  in  another  he  says :  "  I 
measured  a  very  large  male  condor,  and  the  width  from 
the  tip  of  one  wing  to  the  tip  of  the  other  was  fourteen 
English  feet  and  two  inches,  an  enormous  expanse  of 
wing,  not  equalled  by  any  other  bird  except  the  white 
albatross."  -\-  So  far  from  his  "  trussing  a  rhinoceros,"  or 

*  Temple's  Travels  in  Pern.  f  Travels  in  Peru. 


1 22  THE  VAST. 

even  an  ox,  he  cannot,  according  to  Tschudi,  raise  even  a 
sheep  from  the  ground.  "  He  cannot,  when  flying,  carry 
a  weight  exceeding  eight  or  ten  pounds/'  The  voracity 
of  the  obscene  bird  is  very  great.  The  owner  of  some 
captive  specimens  assured  the  naturalist  that  he  had 
given  to  one,  in  the  course  of  a  single  day,  by  way  of 
experiment,  eighteen  pounds  of  meat,  consisting  of  the 
entrails  of  oxen;  that  the  bird  devoured  the  whole, 
and  ate  his  allowance  the  next  day  with  the  usual  ap- 
petite. 

We  have  all  been  accustomed  from  childhood  to  regard 
with  awe  the  enormous  serpents  of  the  hot  and  damp 
intertropical  forests ;  though  the  specimens  carried  about 
in  travelling  menageries  have  but  little  contributed  to 
nurture  the  sentiment.  A  couple  of  coils  of  variegated 
mosaic,  looking  like  a  tesselated  pavement,  about  as 
thick  as  a  lacquey's  calf,  wrapped  up  in  the  folds  of  a 
blanket  at  the  bottom  of  a  deal  box,  we  had  difficulty  in 
accepting  as  the  impersonation  of  the  demon  which  hung 
from  the  branches  of  an  Indian  tree,  and,  having  pressed 
the  life  out  of  a  buffalo  in  his  mighty  folds  and  broken 
his  bones,  swallowed  the  body  entire,  all  but  the  horns. 
Here  again  there  is  incertitude  and  disappointment ;  and 
the  colossal  dragon,  which  looms  so  large  in  the  distance 
of  time  and  space,  grows  "  small  by  degrees  and  beauti- 
fully less  "  in  the  ratio  of  its  approach  to  our  own  times 
and  our  own  eyes.  Yet  enough  of  size  and  power  re- 
mains, even  when  all  legitimate  deductions  are  made,  to 
invest  the  great  boa  with  a  romantic  interest,  and  to 


SERPENTS.  123 

make  the  inquiry  into  its  real  dimensions  worthy  of 
prosecution. 

I  may  observe,  that  several  species  of  these  great  ser- 
pents exist  in  the  intertropical  regions  of  America,  Africa, 
and  Asia ;  but  all  these,  though  assigned  by  zoologists  to 
distinct  genera  (the  American  species  belonging  to  the 
genus  Boa,  and  those  of  Africa  and  Asia  to  Python) 
have  so  much  in  common,  in  habits,  structure,  and  size, 
that  I  shall  speak  of  them  without  distinguishing  the 
species. 

The  old  Eoman  historians  report  that  the  army  of 
Attilius  Eegulus,  while  attacking  Carthage,  was  assaulted 
by  an  enormous  serpent,  which  was  destroyed  only  by  the 
aid  of  the  military  engines  crushing  it  with  huge  stones. 
The  skin  of  this  monster,  measuring  120  feet  in  length, 
was  sent  to  Rome,  and  preserved  as  a  trophy  in  a  temple 
till  the  Numantine  war.  Several  writers  mention  the 
fact,  and  Pliny  speaks  of  its  existence  as  well  known, 

Diodorus  Siculus  mentions  a  serpent  which  was  cap- 
tured, not  without  loss  of  human  life,  in  Egypt,  and  which 
was  taken  to  Alexandria;  it  measured  thirty  cubits,  or 
about  forty-five  feet  in  length. 

Suetonius  records  that  one  was  exhibited  in  front  of 
the  Comitium  at  Rome,  which  was  fifty  cubits,  or  seventy- 
five  feet  in  length. 

It  is  probable  that  these  measurements  were  all  taken 
from  the  skin  after  having  been  detached  from  the  body. 
I  have  had  some  experience  in  skinning  serpents,  and  am 
therefore  aware  of  the  extent  to  which  the  skin,  when 


124  THE  VAST. 

dragged  off  by  force,  is  capable  of  stretching  :  one-fourth 
of  the  entire  length  may  not  unfairly  be  deducted  on  this 
account.  But  even  with  this  allowance,  we  must  admit, 
unless  we  reject  the  testimony  of  sober  historians,  who 
could  hardly  have  been  mistaken  so  grossly  as  to  warrant 
such  rejection,  that  serpents  did  exist  in  ancient  times 
which  far  exceeded  the  limits  that  have  fallen  under  the 
observation  of  modern  naturalists. 

There  is  a  well-known  picture  by  Daniell,  representing 
an  enormous  serpent  attacking  a  boat's  crew  in  one  of 
the  creeks  of  the  Ganges.  It  is  a  graphic  scene,  said  to 
have  been  commemorative  of  a  fact.  The  crew  had 
moored  their  boat  by  the  edge  of  the  jungle,  and,  leaving 
one  of  the  party  in  charge,  had  gone  into  the  forest.  He 
lay  down  under  the  thwarts,  and  was  soon  asleep.  During 
his  unconsciousness  an  enormous  python  emerged  from 
the  jungle,  coiled  itself  round  the  sleeper,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  crushing  him  to  death,  when  his  comrades  returned. 
They  succeeded  in  killing  the  monster,  "  which  was  found 
to  measure  sixty-two  feet  and  some  inches  in  length." 
This  seems  precise  enough ;  but  we  should  like  to  know 
whether  the  measurement  was  made  by  the  Lascars  them- 
selves, or  by  any  trustworthy  European. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Edinburgh  Literary  Gazette 
has  told,  with  every  appearance  of  life- truth,  a  thrilling 
story  of  an  encounter  which  he  had  with  an  enormous 
boa  on  the  banks  of  a  river  in  Guiana.  Awaked,  as  he 
lay  in  his  boat,  by  the  cold  touch  of  something  at  his  feet, 
he  found  that  the  serpent's  mouth  was  in  contact  with 


BOA  IN  UUIANA.  125 

them,  preparing,  as  he  presumed,  to  swallow  him  feet 
foremost.  In  an  instant  he  drew  himself  up,  and,  grasp- 
ing his  gun,  discharged  it  full  at  the  reptile's  head,  which 
reared  into  the  air  with  a  horrid  hiss  and  terrible  con- 
tortions, and  then,  with  one  stroke  of  his  paddles,  he  shot 
up  the  stream  beyond  reach.  On  arriving  at  his  friend's 
house,  it  was  determined  to  seek  the  wounded  serpent, 
and  several  armed  negroes  were  added  to  the  party. 

They  soon  found  the  spot  where  the  crushed  and 
bloody  reeds  told  of  the  recent  adventure,  and  proceeded 
cautiously  to  reconnoitre.  Advancing  thus  about  thirty 
yards,  alarm  was  given  that  the  monster  was  visible. 
"  We  saw  through  the  reeds  part  of  its  body  coiled  up, 
and  part  stretched  out ;  but,  from  their  density,  the  head 
was  invisible.  Disturbed,  and  apparently  irritated,  by 
our  approach,  it  appeared,  from  its  movements,  about  to 
attack  us.  Just  as  we  caught  a  glimpse  at  its  head  we 
fired,  both  of  us  almost  at  the  same  moment.  It  fell, 
hissing  and  rolling  in  a  variety  of  contortions/'  Here 
one  of  the  negroes,  taking  a  circuit,  succeeded  in  hitting 
the  creature  a  violent  blow  with  a  club,  which  stunned  it, 
and  a  few  more  strokes  decided  the  victory.  "  On  mea- 
suring it,  we  found  it  to  be  nearly  forty  feet  in  length, 
and  of  proportional  thickness." 

I  do  not  know  how  far  this  story  is  to  be  relied  on ; 
but  if  it  is  given  in  good  faith,  the  serpent  was  the  longest 
dependable  example  I  know  of  in  modern  times.  Still, 
"  nearly  forty  feet "  is  somewhat  indefinite. 

In  Mr  Ellis's  amusing  account  of  his  visit  to  Manilla, 


126  THE  VAST. 

he  mentions  specimens  of  enormous  size ;  but  there  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  any  actual  admeasurement. 

"  On  one  occasion,"  he  says,  "  I  was  driven  by  an  Indian, 
(coachman  to  the  gentleman  with  whom  I  was  stopping,) 
in  company  with  a  friend,  to  the  house  of  a  priest,  who 
had  some  singularly  large  specimens  of  the  boa- constrictor 
[python] ;  one,  of  two  that  were  in  a  wooden  pen  together, 
could  hardly  have  been  less  than  fifty  feet  long,  and  the 
stoutest  part  as  thick  round  as  a  very  fat  man's  body."* 

Bontius  speaks  of  some  which  were  upwards  of  thirty- 
six  feet  long ;  doubtless  Oriental  pythons.  An  American 
boa  is  mentioned  by  Bingley,  of  the  same  length,  the  skin 
of  which  was  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Prince  of  Orange ;  and 
Shaw  mentions  a  skin  in  the  British  Museum  which 
measured  thirty-five  feet.  Probably  in  these  last  two 
cases  we  must  allow  something  for  stretching.  , 

In  the  Bombay  Courier,  of  August  31,  1799,  a  dreadful 
story  is  narrated  of  a  Malay  sailor  having  been  crushed 
to  death  by  a  python  on  the  coast  of  Celebes.  His  com- 
rades, hearing  his  shrieks,  went  to  his  assistance,  but  only 
in  time  to  save  the  corpse  from  its  living  grave.  They, 
however,  killed  the  serpent.  It  had  seized  the  poor  man 
by  the  wrist,  where  the  marks  of  the  teeth  were  very  dis- 
tinct, and  the  body  shewed  evident  signs  of  having  been 
crushed  by  coils  round  the  head,  neck,  breast,  and  thigh. 
The  length  of  the  monster  was  "  about  thirty  feet,  and  its 
thickness  that  of  a  moderate-sized  man/' 

*  Ellis's  Manilla,  p.  237. 


SERPENTS.  127 

Mr  M'Leod,  in  the  Voyage  of  H.  M.S.  Alceste,  has 
minutely  described  the  feeding  of  a  python  from  Borneo, 
which  was  sixteen  feet  long,  and  observes  that,  at  Whydah, 
in  Africa,  he  had  seen  serpents  "more  than  double  the 
size "  of  this  specimen ;  but  it  does  not  seem  that  they 
were  measured. 

The  Penang  Gazette  of  a  late  date  says — "  A  monster 
boa-constrictor  [python]  was  killed  one  morning  this 
week  by  the  overseer  of  convicts  at  Bayam  Lepas,  on  the 
road  to  Telo'  Kumbar.  His  attention  was  attracted  by 
the  squealing  of  a  pig,  and  on  going  to  the  place  he 
found  it  in  the  coils  of  the  snake.  A  few  blows  from  the 
changkolf  of  the  convicts  served  to  despatch  the  reptile, 
and,  on  uncoiling  him,  he  was  found  to  be  twenty-eight 
feet  in  length,  and  thirty- two  inches  in  girth.  This  is  one 
of  the  largest  specimens  we  have  heard  of  in  Penang."  * 

Dr  Andrew  Smith,  in  his  Zoology  of  South  Africa, 
records  having  seen  a  specimen  of  Python  Natalensis, 
which  was  twenty-five  feet  long,  though  a  portion  of  the 
tail  was  wanting.  This  is  the  largest  specimen  I  know 
of,  actually  measured  in  the  flesh  by  a  perfectly  reliable 
authority ;  and  even  here  the  amount  to  be  added  to  the 
twenty-five  feet  can  only  be  conjectured. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  compare  these  statements  by 
setting  them  in  a  tabular  form,  indicating  each  specimen 
by  some  name  that  shall  serve  to  identify  it,  and  adding 
a  note  of  the  degree  of  credit  due  to  each. 

*  Quoted  in  The  Times,  Nov.  1,  1859. 


128  THE  VAST. 

Feet. 

Regulus .         .        .        .120  probably  stretched. 

Suetonius        ...  75               ibid. 

Diodorus         ...  45                ibid. 

Daniell   ....  62  not  reliable. 

Ellis        ....  50  conjectural. 

Guiana   ....  40  anonymous. 

Bontius  36  reliable. 

Bingley  ....  36  perhaps  stretched. 

Shaw      ....  85               ibid. 

M'Leod  ....  32  conjectural 

Celebes  ....  30  vague. 

Penang  .         .        .        .  28  perhaps  reliable. 

Smith     .        .        .        .  +  25  certainly  correct. 

Turning  from  the  animal  to  the  vegetable  world,  we 
find  giants  and  colossi  there  which  excite  our  wonder. 
There  is  a  sea- weed,  the  Nereocystis,  which  grows  on  the 
north-west  shores  of  America,  which  has  a  stem  no 
thicker  than  whipcord,  but  upwards  of  three  hundred  feet 
in  length,  bearing  at  its  free  extremity  a  huge  hollow 
bladder,  shaped  like  a  barrel,  six  or  seven  feet  long,  and 
crowned  with  a  tuft  of  more  than  fifty  forked  leaves,  each 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length.  The  vesicle,  being 
filled  with  air,  buoys  up  this  immense  frond,  which  lies 
stretched  along  the  surface  of  the  sea:  here  the  sea-otter 
has  his  favourite  lair,  resting  himself  upon  the  vesicle,  or 
hiding  among  the  leaves,  while  he  pursues  his  fishing. 
The  cord-like  stem  which  anchors  this  floating  tree  must 
be  of  considerable  strength ;  and,  accordingly,  we  find  it 
used  as  a  fishing-line  by  the  natives  of  the  coast.  But 
great  as  is  the  length  of  this  sea-weed,  it  is  exceeded  by 
the  Hacrocystis,  though  the  leaves  and  air-vessels  of  that 


KATANS.  1 29 

plant  are  of  small  dimensions.  In  the  Nereocystis,  the 
stem  is  unbranched  ;  in  Macrocystis,  it  branches  as  it 
approaches  the  surface,  and  afterwards  divides  by  repeated 
forkings,  each  division  bearing  a  leaf,  until  there  results 
a  floating  mass  .of  foliage,  some  hundreds  of  square  yards 
in  superficial  extent.  It  is  said  that  the  stem  of  this 
plant  is  sometimes  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  length.* 

Mr  Darwin,*!*  speaking  of  this  colossal  alga  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  America,  where  it  grows  up  from 
a  depth  of  forty-five  fathoms  to  the  surface,  at  a  very 
oblique  angle,  says,  that  its  beds,  even  when  of  no  great 
breadth,  make  excellent  natural  floating  breakwaters.  It 
is  quite  curious  to  mark  how  soon  the  great  waves  from 
the  ocean,  in  passing  through  the  straggling  stems  into 
an  exposed  harbour,  sink  in  elevation,  and  become 
smooth. 

Such  an  enormous  length  is  not  without  parallel  in 
terrestrial  plants.  Familiar  to  every  one, — from  the 
schoolboy,  over  whom  it  hangs  in  terrorem,  upward, — as 
is  the  common  cane,  with  its  slenderness,  its  flexibility, 
and  its  flinty,  polished  surface, — how  few  are  aware  that 
it  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  stem  of  a  palm-tree,  which, 
in  its  native  forest,  reached  a  length  of  five  hundred  feet ! 
These  ratans  form  a  tribe  of  plants  growing  in  the  dense 
jungles  of  continental  and  insular  India,  which,  though 
they  resemble  grasses  or  reeds  in  their  appearance,  are 
true  trees  of  the  palm  kind.  They  are  exceedingly  slender, 
never  increasing  in  thickness,  though  immensely  in  length ; 

*  Harvey's  Marine  Algce,  p.  28.  f  Nat.  Voyage,  xi. 

I 


130  THE  VAST. 

in  the  forest  they  trail  along  the  ground,  sending  forth 
leaves  at  intervals,  whose  sheathing  bases  we  may  easily 
recognise  at  what  we  call  joints,  climb  to  the  summits  of 
trees,  descend  to  the  earth,  climb  and  descend  again,  till 
some  species  attain  the  astonishing  length  of  twelve 
hundred  feet.* 

We  are  accustomed  to  consider  the  various  species  of 
Cactus  as  petted  plants  for  our  green-house  shelves  and 
cottage-windows ;  yet,  in  our  larger  conservatories,  there 
are  specimens  which  astonish  us  by  their  size.  A  few 
years  ago  there  were  at  the  Eoyal  Gardens  at  Kew,  two 
examples  of  Echinocactus,  like  water-butts  for  bulk; 
one  of  which  weighed  upwards  of  seven  hundred  pounds, 
and  the  other  about  two  thousand  pounds. 

The  species  of  Cereus  which  with  us  appear  as  green, 
succulent,  angular  stems,  and  bear  their  elegant,  scarlet 
blossoms,  adorned  with  a  bundle  of  white  stamens,  grow, 
in  the  arid  plains  of  South  America,  to  thick  lofty  pillars 
or  massive  branching  candelabra.  Travellers  in  Cumana 
have  spoken  with  enthusiasm  of  the  grandeur  of  these 
rows  of  columns,  when  the  red  glow  of  sunset  illumines 
them,  and  casts  their  lengthening  shadows  across  the 
plain. 

A  kindred  species  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  the 
northern  continent  has  been  thus  described  by  a  recent 
traveller : — 

"  This  day  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  giant  cactus 
(Cereus  giganteus)\  specimens  of  which  stood  at  first 

*  Humph.,  v.,  p.  100. 


THE  GIANT  CACTUS.  131 

rather  widely  apart,  like  straight  pillars  ranged  along  the 
sides  of  the  valley,  but,  afterwards,  more  closely  together, 
and  in  a  different  form — namely,  that  of  gigantic  cande- 
labra, of  six-and- thirty  feet  high,  which  had  taken  root 
among  stones  and  in  clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  rose  in 
solitary  state  at  various  points. 

"  This  Cereus  giganteus,  the  queen  of  the  cactus  tribe,  is 
known  in  California  and  New  Mexico  under  the  name  of 
Petahaya.  The  missionaries  who  visited  the  country  be- 
tween the  Colorado  and  the  Gila,  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago,  speak  of  the  fruit  of  the  Petahaya,  and 
of  the  natives  of  the  country  using  it  for  food ;  and  they 
also  mention  a  remarkable  tree  that  had  branches,  but  no 
leaves,  though  it  reached  the  height  of  sixty  feet,  and  was 
of  considerable  girth The  wildest  and  most  in- 
hospitable regions  appear  to  be  the  peculiar  home  of  this 
plant,  and  its  fleshy  shoots  will  strike  root,  and  grow  to  a 
surprising  size,  in  chasms  in  heaps  of  stones,  where  the 
closest  examination  can  scarcely  discover  a  particle  of 
vegetable  soil.  Its  form  is  various,  and  mostly  depen- 
dent on  its  age ;  the  first  shape  it  assumes  is  that  of  an 
immense  club  standing  upright  in  the  ground,  and  of 
double  the  circumference  of  the  lower  part  at  the  top. 
This  form  is  very  striking,  while  the  plant  is  still  only 
from  two  to  six  feet  high,  but,  as  it  grows  taller,  the 
thickness  becomes  more  equal,  and  when  it  attains  the 
height  of  twenty-five  feet,  it  looks  like  a  regular  pillar ; 
after  this  it  begins  to  throw  out  its  branches.  These 
come  out  at  first  in  a  .globular  shape,  but  turn  upward  as 


132  THE  VAST. 

they  elongate,  and  then  grow  parallel  to  the  trunk,  and 
at  a  certain  distance  from  it,  so  that  a  cereus  with  many 
branches  looks  exactly  like  an  immense  candelabrum,  espe- 
cially as  the  branches  are  mostly  symmetrically  arranged 
round  the  trunk,  of  which  the  diameter  is  not  usually 
more  than  a  foot  and  a  half,  or,  in  some  rare  instances,  a 
foot  more.  They  vary  much  in  height ;  the  highest  we 
ever  saw,  at  Williams'  Fork,  measured  from  thirty- six  to 
forty  feet ;  but,  south  of  the  Gila,  they  are  said  to  reach 
sixty ;  and  when  you  see  them  rising  from  the  extreme 
point  of  a  rock,  where  a  surface  of  a  few  inches  square 
forms  their  sole  support,  you  cannot  help  wondering  that 
the  first  storm  does  not  tear  them  from  their  airy  eleva- 
tion  

"  If  the  smaller  specimens  of  the  Cereus  giganteus  that 
we  had  seen  in  the  morning  excited  our  astonishment,  the 
feeling  was  greatly  augmented,  when,  on  our  further 
journey,  we  beheld  this  stately  plant  in  all  its  magnifi- 
cence. The  absence  of  every  other  vegetation  enabled  us 
to  distinguish  these  cactus-columns  from  a  great  distance, 
as  they  stood  symmetrically  arranged  on  the  heights  and 
declivities  of  the  mountains,  to  which  they  imparted  a 
most  peculiar  aspect,  though  certainly  not  a  beautiful  one. 
Wonderful  as  each  plant  is,  when  regarded  singly,  as  a 
grand  specimen  of  vegetable  life,  these  solemn,  silent 
forms,  which  stand  motionless,  even  in  a  hurricane,  give  a 
somewhat  dreary  character  to  the  landscape.  Some  look 
like  petrified  giants,  stretching  out  their  arms  in  speechless 
pain,  and  others  stand  like  lonely  sentinels,  keeping  their 


THE  DRAGON-TREE.  J  33 

dreary  watch  on  the  edge  of  precipices,  and  gazing  into 
the  abyss,  or  over  into  the  pleasant  valley  of  the  Williams' 
Fork,  at  the  flocks  of  birds  that  do  not  venture  to  rest  on 
the  thorny  arms  of  the  Petahaya ;  though  the  wasp  and 
the  gaily  variegated  woodpecker  may  be  seen  taking  up 
their  abode  in  the  old  wounds  and  scars  of  sickly  or 
damaged  specimens  of  this  singular  plant."  * 

In  the  island  of  Teneriffe  there  still  exists  a  tree  which 
is  an  object  of  scientific  curiousity  to  every  visitor,  the 
Dragon-tree  of  Orotava.  It  has  been  celebrated  from  the 
discovery  of  the  island,  and  even  earlier,  for  it  had  been 
venerated  by  the  Guanches  as  a  sacred  tree  from  imme- 
morial time.  Its  height  is  about  seventy  feet,  but  its 
bulk  is  far  more  extraordinary.  Le  Dru  found  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  trunk,  near  the  ground,  to  be  seventy- 
nine  feet.  Humboldt,  who,  when  he  ascended  the  Peak 
in  1799,  measured  it  some  feet  from  the  ground,  found  it 
forty-eight  feet ;  and  Sir  G.  Staunton  gives  thirty-six  feet 
as  the  circumference  at  a  height  of  ten  feet. 

The  banyan,  or  sacred  fig  of  India,  acquires  a  prodigious 
size,  not  by  the  enlargement  of  its  individual  trunk,  but 
by  the  multiplication  of  its  trunks,  in  a  peculiar  manner 
of  growth.  As  its  horizontal  limbs  spread  on  all  sides, 
shoots  descend  from  them  to  the  earth,  in  which  they 
root,  and  become  so  many  secondary  stems,  extending 
their  own  lateral  branches,  which  in  turn  send  down  fresh 
rooting  shoots,  thus  ever  widening  the  area  of  this  won- 
drous forest,  composed  of  a  single  organic  life.  This  is 

*  Moilhausen's  Journey  to  the  Pacific,  ii.,  p.  218. 


134  THE  VAST. 

the  tree  which  Milton  makes  afford  to  our  guilty  first, 
parents  the  "fig-leaves"  with  which  they  hoped  to  clothe 
their  new-found  nakedness. 

"  So  counsell'd  he,  and  both  together  went 
Into  the  thickest  wood ;  there  soon  they  chose 
The  fig-tree  ;  not  that  kind  for  fruit  renown'd ; 
But  such  as  at  this  day,  to  Indians  known 
In  Malabar  or  Decan,  spreads  her  arms, 
Branching  so  broad  and  long,  that  in  the  ground 
The  bended  twigs  take  root,  and  daughters  grow 
About  the  mother-tree,  a  pillar'd  shade 
High  overarch'd,  and  echoing  walks  between  : 
There  oft  the  Indian  herdsman  shunning  heat, 
Shelters  in  cool,  and  tends  his  pasturing  herds 
At  loopholes  cut  through  thickest  shade :  those  leaves 
They  gather'd,  broad  as  Amazonian  targe ; 
And,  with  what  skill  they  had,  together  sew'd, 
To  gird  their  waist."  * 

Banyans  exist  which  are  much  older  than  the  Christian 
era.  Dr  Roxburgh  mentions  some  whose  area  is  more 
than  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and  one  hun- 
dred in  height,  the  principal  trunk  being  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  to  the  horizontal  boughs,  and  eight  or  nine  feet  in 
diameter.  But  the  most  celebrated  tree  of  this  kind  is 
one  growing  on  the  banks  of  the  Nerbudda,  and  covering 
an  almost  incredible  area,  of  which  the  circumference  still 
existing  is  nearly  two  thousand  feet,  though  a  consider- 
able portion  has  been  swept  away  by  the  floods  of  the 
river.  The  overhanging  branches  which  have  not  (or  had 
not  at  the  time  this  description  was  made)  yet  thrown 
down  their  perpendicular  shoots,  cover  a  far  wider  space. 
*  Paradise  Lost,  book  ix. 


THE  BAOBAB.  135 

Three  hundred  and  twenty  main  trunks  may  be  counted, 
while  the  smaller  ones  exceed  three  thousand ;  and  each 
of  these  is  constantly  sending  forth  its  branches  and  pen- 
dent root-shoots  to  form  other  trunks,  and  become  the 
augmenters  of  the  vast  colony.  Immense  popular  assem- 
blies are  sometimes  convened  beneath  this  patriarchal  fig, 
and  it  has  been  known  to  shelter  seven  thousand  men 
at  one  time  beneath  its  ample  shadow.* 

The  Baobab,  a  tree  of  tropical  Africa,  but  now  natu- 
ralised in  other  hot  countries,  is  one  which  attains  an 
immense  bulk.  Its  growth  is  chiefly  in  the  trunk.  It  is 
by  no  means  uncommon  for  a  bole  of  seventy-five  or 
eighty  feet  in  circumference  to  begin  to  send  out  its 
branches  at  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground ;  and 
the  entire  height  is  frequently  little  more  than  the  circum- 
ference of  the  trunk.  The  lower  branches,  at  first  hori- 
zontal, attain  a  great  length,  and  finally  droop  to  the 
ground,  completely  hiding  the  trunk,  and  giving  to  the 
tree  the  appearance  of  a  vast  hillock  of  foliage. 

Some  examples  of  the  dimensions  of  this  immense,  but 
soft-wooded  and  spongy  tree,  may  be  adduced.  Adan- 
son,  in  1748,  saw,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Senegal,  baobabs 
which  were  from  twenty-six  to  twenty-nine  feet  in  dia- 
meter, with  a  height  of  little  more  than  seventy  feet,  and 
a  head  of  foliage  a  hundred  and  eighty  feet  across.  He 
remarks,  however,  that  other  travellers  had  found  speci- 
mens considerably  larger.  Peters  measured  trunks  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  thick,  which  he  says  were  the 

*  Forbes'  Oriental  Memoir*. 


136  THE  VAST. 

largest  he  saw.  Perrottet,  in  his  Flora  of  Senegambm, 
declares  that  he  had  seen  some  thirty-two  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high.  Golberry  found 
specimens  attaining  thirty-six  feet  in  diameter,  yet  but 
sixty-four  feet  in  height.  And  Aloysius  Cadamosto,  who 
was  the  first  to  describe  the  tree,  found  specimens  whose 
circumference  he  estimated  at  seventeen  fathoms,  which 
would  give  a  diameter  of  thirty-four  feet.* 

A  kind  of  cypress,  growing  in  Oaxaca,  in  Mexico,  has 
attained  great  celebrity  among  botanists,  De  Candolle 
having  stated  its  diameter  at  sixty  feet.  Humboldt,  who 
speaks  from  personal  examination,  an  advantage  which 
the  great  botanist  did  not  possess,  reduces  it  to  forty  feet 
six  inches — a  very  enormous  bulk,  however,  still. 

A  recent  traveller  in  Venezuela,  thus  notices  a  tree  of 
remarkable  dimensions : — 

"  Soon  after  leaving  Turmero,  we  caught  sight  of  the 
far-famed  Zamang  del  Guayre,  and  in  about  an  hour's 
time  arrived  at  the  hamlet  of  El  Guayre,  from  whence  it 
takes  its  name.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  tree  in 
the  world,f  for  so  great  was  the  reverence  of  the  Indians 
for  it  on  account  of  its  age  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish 
Conquest,  that  the  Government  issued  a  decree  for  its 
protection  from  all  injury,  and  it  has  ever  since  been 
public  property.  It  shews  no  sign  whatever  of  decay,  but 
is  as  fresh  and  green  as  it  was  most  probably  a  thousand 
years  ago.  The  trunk  of  this  magnificent  tree  is  only 

*  See  Humboldt's  Aspects  of  Nature. 

f  This  is  probably  the  exaggeration  of  local  prejudice. 


IMMENSE  TEEES.  137 

sixty  feet  high,  by  thirty  feet  in  circumference,  so  that  it 
is  not  so  much  the  enormous  size  of  the  Zamang  del 
Guayre  that  constitutes  its  great  attraction,  as  the  wonder- 
ful spread  of  its  magnificent  branches,  and  the  perfect 
dome-like  shape  of  its  head,  which  is  so  exact  and  regular 
that  one  could  almost  fancy  some  extinct  race  of  giants 
had  been  exercising  their  topiarian  art  upon  it.  The 
circumference  of  this  dome  is  said  to  be  nearly  six  hun- 
dred feet,  and  the  measure  [arch?]  of  its  semicircular 
head  very  nearly  as  great.  The  zamang  is  a  species  of 
mimosa,  and  what  is  curious  and  adds  greatly  to  its 
beauty  and  softness  is,  that  the  leaves  of  this  giant  of 
nature  are  as  small  and  delicate  as  those  of  the  silver- 
willow,  and  are  equally  as  sensitive  to  every  passing 
breeze."* 

Even  in  temperate  climates,  among  the  trees  with  which 
we  are  familiar,  vast  dimensions  are  not  unknown.  A 
yew  in  the  churchyard  of  Grasford,  North  Wales,  mea- 
sures more  than  fifty  feet  in  girth  below  the  branches. 
In  Lithuania,  lime-trees  have  been  measured  of  the  cir- 
cumference of  eighty-seven  feet.j  And,  near  Saintes,  in 
France,  there  is  an  oak,  which  is  sixty-four  feet  in  height, 
and  measures  nearly  thirty  feet  in  diameter  close  to  the 
ground,  and  twenty-three  feet  at  five  feet  high.  A  little 
room,  twelve  feet  nine  inches  in  width,  has  been  made  in 
the  hollow  of  the  trunk,  and  a  semicircular  bench  within 
it  has  been  carved  out  of  the  living  wood.  A  window 

*  Sullivan's  Rambles  in  North  and  South  America,  p.  400. 
t  Endlicher,  Grundz.  der  Bot.,  p.  399. 


I  38  THE  VAST. 

gives  light  to  the  interior,  and  a  door  closes  it,  while 
elegant  ferns  and  lichens  serve  for  hangings  to  the 
walls.* 

But  let  us  look  at  examples  in  which  prodigious  height 
and  immense  bulk  are  united.  The  Macrocystis  and  the 
ratan  are  enormously  lengthened,  but  they  are  slender ; 
the  baobab  and  the  cypress  are  very  thick,  but  they  are 
short.  The  colossal  locust-trees  of  equinoctial  America 
are  pre-eminent  for  vastness  in  both  aspects.  Von  Mar- 
tius  has  depicted  a  scene  in  a  Brazilian  forest, f  where 
some  trees  of  this  kind  occurred  of  such  enormous  dimen- 
sions, that  fifteen  Indians  with  outstretched  arms  could 
only  just  embrace  one  of  them.  At  the  bottom  they  were 
eighty-four  feet  in  circumference,  and  sixty  feet  where 
the  boles  became  cylindrical.  "They  looked  more  like 
living  rocks  than  trees ;  for  it  was  only  on  the  pinnacle  of 
their  bare  and  naked  bark  that  foliage  could  be  discovered, 
and  that  at  such  a  distance  from  the  eye  that  the  forms 
of  the  leaves  could  not  be  made  out. 

The  various  species  of  gum-trees  J  of  Australia  and 
Tasmania  are  prodigious  examples  of  vegetable  life,  occa- 
sionally attaining  a  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
with  a  proportionate  thickness.  The  following  statement 
of  Mr  Backhouse  will  give  the  reader  a  vivid  idea  of 
a  Tasmanian  forest.  He  is  speaking  of  the  stringy- 
bark  :  § — 

*  Ann.  Soc.  Ayr.,  RocTielle,  1843. 

•}•  It  is  copied  in  Lindley's  Vegetable  Kingdom,  p.  551. 

4.  They  form  the  genus  Eucalyptus.  §  Eucal.  robusta. 


GUM-TREES  IN  TASMANIA.  139 

"Some  of  the  specimens  exceed  two  hundred  feet, 
rising  almost  to  the  height  of  the  monument  in  London 
before  branching ;  their  trunks  also  will  bear  comparison 
with  that  stately  column,  both  for  circumference  and 
straightness.  One  of  them  was  found  to  measure  fifty- 
five  feet  and  a  half  round  its  trunk  at  five  feet  from  the 
ground ;  its  height  was  computed  at  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  and  its  circumference  was  seventy  feet  at  the 
base  !  My  companions  spoke  to  one  another,  and  called 
to  me  when  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree,  and  their 
voices  sounded  so  distant  that  I  concluded  they  had  in- 
advertently quitted  me  in  search  of  some  other  object. 
I  accordingly  called  to  them,  and  they  in  answer  remarked 
the  distant  sound  of  my  voice,  and  inquired  if  I  possibly 
were  behind  the  tree.  At  the  time  when  the  road  was 
forming  through  the  forest,  a  man,  who  had  only  two 
hundred  yards  to  go  from  one  company  of  people  to 
another,  lost  his  way ;  he  shouted,  and  was  repeatedly 
answered ;  but,  getting  farther  astray  among  the  prodigious 
trunks,  his  voice  became  inaudible,  and  he  perished.  A 
prostrate  tree  of  this  kind  was  measured  two  hundred  and 
thirteen  feet  long ;  we  ascended  the  trunk  on  an  inclined 
plane,  formed  by  one  of  its  huge  limbs,  and  walked  four 
of  us  abreast  with  ease  upon  the  trunk.  In  its  fall  it  had 
hurled  down  another,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet 
long,  which  had  brought  up  with  its  roots  a  wall  of  earth 
twenty  feet  across  ! " 

But  examples  of  even  superior  size  have  been  described 
by  the  liev.  T.  Ewing  of  Hobart  Town.  The  species  is 


140  THE  VAST. 

probably  the  same,  though  called  by  another  provincial 
name. 

"  Last  week  I  went  to  see  two  of  the  largest  trees  in 
the  world,  if  not  the  largest,  that  have  ever  been  measured. 
They  were  both  on  a  tributary  rill  to  the  North-west  Bay 
Bivcr,  at  the  back  of  Mount  Wellington,  and  are  what  are 
here  called  Swamp  Gums.  One  was  growing,  the  other 
prostrate ;  the  latter  measured,  to  the  first  branch,  two 
hundred  and  twenty  feet ;  from  thence  to  where  the  top 
was  broken  off  and  decayed,  sixty-four  feet,  or  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  feet  in  all,  so  that  with  the  top  it 
must  have  been  considerably  beyond  three  hundred  feet. 
It  is  thirty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  twelve  at  the 
first  branch.  We  estimated  it  to  weigh,  with  the  first 
branch,  four  hundred  and  forty  tons !  The  standing 
giant  is  still  growing  vigorously,  without  the  least  symp- 
tom of  decay,  and  looks  like  a  large  church  tower  among 
the  puny  sassafras  trees.  It  measures,  at  three  feet  from 
the  ground,  one  hundred  and  two  feet  in  circumfurence  ; 
at  the  ground,  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet !  We  had  no 
means  of  ascertaining  its  height  (which,  however,  must  be 
enormous)  from  the  density  of  the  forest.  I  measured 
another  not  forty  yards  from  it,  and  at  three  feet  from 
the  ground  it  was  sixty  feet  round ;  and  at  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet,  where  the  first  branch  began,  we  judged 
it  to  be  forty  feet ;  this  was  a  noble  column  indeed,  and 
Bound  as  a  nut.  I  am  sure  that  within  a  mile  there  are 
at  least  one  hundred  growing  trees  forty  feet  in  circum- 
ference/' 


THE  MAMMOTH-TEEE.  141 

The  public  exhibition  of  the  "  Mammoth-Tree "  in 
London  has,  however,  familiarised  us  with  the  fact  that 
greater  trees  exist  than  any  yet  noticed.  Upper  Cali- 
fornia is  the  home  of  the  most  gigantic  of  vegetable  pro- 
ductions, which  form  two  species  of  a  sort  of  Cypress, 
named  respectively  Sequoia  sempervirens  and  Seq.  Wel- 
lingtonia.  The  latter  has  attained  the  most  celebrity. 

"  About  thirty  miles  from  Sonora,  in  the  district  of 
Calaveras,  you  come  to  the  Stanislas  river ;  and,  following 
one  of  its  tributaries  that  murmurs  through  a  deep, 
wooded  bed,  you  reach  the  Mammoth-tree  Valley,  which 
lies  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In 
this  valley  you  find  yourself  in  the  presence  of  the  giants 
of  the  vegetable  world ;  and  the  astonishment  with  which 
you  contemplate  from  a  distance  these  tower-like  Coniferse, 
rising  far  above  the  lofty  pine-woods,  is  increased  when 
on  a  nearer  approach  you  become  aware  of  their  pro- 
digious dimensions.  There  is  a  family  of  them,  consist- 
ing of  ninety  members,  scattered  over  a  space  of  about 
forty  acres ;  and  the  smallest  and  feeblest  among  them  is 
not  less  than  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  You  can  scarcely 
believe  your  eyes  as  you  look  up  to  their  crowns,  which, 
in  the  most  vigorous  of  the  colossal  stems,  only  begin  at 
the  height  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  feet 
from  the  ground/'  * 

Each  member  of  this  wonderful  group  has  received  a 
familiar  name,  in  many  cases  indicating  in  its  homely 
associations  the  rude  mind  of  the  backwoodsman.  A 

*  Mollhausen's  Journey  to  the  Pacific,  ii.,  p.  363. 


142  THE  VAST. 

hotel  has  been  built  close  to  the  group,  which  has  become 
a  scene  of  attraction  to  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  An  enumeration  of  a  few  of  the  more  promi- 
nent trees,  with  their  statistics,  will  enable  us  better  to 
form  an  idea  of  the  scene,  particularly  if  we  take  the 
monument  of  London  as  a  standard  of  comparison,  whose 
total  height  is  two  hundred  and  two  feet,  and  fifteen  teet 
the  diameter  of  the  column  at  the  plinth. 

Leaving  the  hotel,  and  proceeding  into  the  grove,  the 
visitor  presently  comes  to  the  "Miner's  Cabin,"  a  tree 
measuring  eighty  feet  in  circumference,  and  attaining 
three  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  "cabin/"  or  burnt 
cavity,  measures  seventeen  feet  across  its  entrance,  and 
extends  upwards  of  forty  feet.  Continuing  our  ramble, 
admiring  the  luxuriant  growth  of  underwood,  consisting 
of  firs,  cedars,  dog-wood,  and  hazel,  we  come  to  the 
"Three  Graces."  These  splendid  trees  appear  to  grow, 
and  perhaps  do  grow,  from  one  root,  and  form  the  most 
beautiful  group  in  the  forest,  towering  side  by  side  to  the 
height  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet,  tapering  symme- 
trically from  their  base  upwards.  Their  united  circum- 
ference amounts  to  ninety-two  feet;  it  is  two  hundred 
feet  to  the  first  limb  on  the  middle  tree.  The  "  Pioneer's 
Cabin  "  next  arrests  our  attention,  rising  to  the  height  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  (the  top  having  been  broken 
off,)  and  thirty- three  feet  in  diameter.  Continuing  our 
walk,  we  came  to  a  forlorn-looking  individual,  having 
many  rents  in  the  bark,  and,  withal,  the  most  shabby- 
looking  in  the  forest.  This  is  the  "Old  Bachelor;"  it  is 


THE  MAMMOTH  GEOVE.  143 

about  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  sixty  feet  in  circum- 
ference. The  next  tree  is  the  "  Mother  of  thevForest,"  pre- 
sently to  be  mentioned  as  having-  been  stripped  of  its  bark 
by  speculators  in  1854.  We  are  now  amidst  the  "Family 
Group,"  and  standing  near  the  uprooted  base  of  the 
"  Father  of  the  Forest."  This  scene  is  grand  and  beauti- 
ful beyond  description.  The  venerable  "  Father "  has 
long  since  bowed  his  head  in  the  dust ;  yet  how  stupend- 
ous even  in  his  ruins!  He  measures  one  hundred  and 
twelve  feet  in  circumference  at  the  base,  and  can  be  traced 
three  hundred  feet,  where  the  trunk  was  broken  by  falling 
against  another  tree.  A  hollow  chamber,  or  burnt  cavity, 
extends  through  the  trunk  two  hundred  feet,  large  enough 
for  a  person  to  ride  through.  Near  its  base  is  a  spring 
of  water.  Walking  upon  the  trunk,  and  looking  from  its 
uprooted  base,  the  mind  can  scarcely  conceive  its  pro- 
digious dimensions,  while  on  either  hand  tower  his  giant 
sons  and  daughters.  Passing  onward,  we  meet  with  the 
"  Husband  and  Wife,"  leaning  affectionately  towards  one 
another ;  they  are  each  sixty  feet  in  circumference,  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height.  "  Hercules/'  one  of 
the  most  gigantic  specimens  in  the  forest,  stands  leaning 
in  our  path.  This  tree,  like  many  others,  has  been  burnt 
at  the  base ;  it  is  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high, 
and  ninety-seven  feet  in  circumference.  The  "  Hermit,'' 
rising  solitary  and  alone,  is  next  observed.  This  tree, 
straight  and  well-proportioned,  measures  three  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high,  and  sixty  feet  in  circumference. 
Still  returning  towards  the  hotel  by  the  lower  trail,  we 


144*  THE  VAST. 

pass  the  "Mother  and  Son,"  which  together  measure 
ninety-three  feet  in  circumference ;  the  "  Mother "  is 
three  hundred  and  twenty,  the  "  Son "  a  hopeful  youth 
of  three  hundred  feet.  The  "Siamese  Twins  and  their 
Guardian  "  form  the  next  group :  the  "  Twins  "  have  one 
trunk  at  the  base,  separating  at  the  height  of  forty  feet, 
each  measuring  three  hundred  feet  high;  the  ''Guardian" 
is  eighty  feet  in  circumference,  and  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  high.  Beyond  stands  the  "Old  Maid," 
slightly  bowing  in  her  lonely  grief ;  she  measures  sixty  feet 
in  circumference,  and  is  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high. 
Two  beautiful  trees,  called  "Addie  and  Mary,"  are  the 
next  to  arrest  our  attention,  measuring  each  sixty-five  feet 
in  circumference,  and  nearly  three  hundred  feet  high. 
We  next  reach  the  "Horse-back  Eide,"  an  old  fallen 
trunk  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  hollowed 
out  by  the  fires  which  have,  in  days  gone  by,  raged 
through  the  forest.  The  cavity  is  twelve  feet  in  the  clear 
and  in  the  narrowest  place,  and  a  person  can  ride  through 
on  horseback,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  feet.  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin"  next  claims  our  admiration,  being  three 
hundred  feet  high,  and  seventy-five  feet  in  circumference. 
The  "  Cabin  "  has  a  burnt  entrance  of  two  and  a  half  feet 
in  diameter ;  the  cavity  within  is  large  enough  to  seat  fif- 
teen persons.  Two  other  trees  we  must  note ;  one  of 
which,  named  the  "Pride  of  the  Forest,"  remarkable  for 
the  smoothness  of  its  bark,  measures  two  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  in  height,  and  sixty  feet  in  circumference. 
The  "  Burnt  Cave  "  is  also  remarkable  ;  it  measures  forty 


FELLING  THE  "  BIG  TREE."  145 

feet  nine  inches  across  its  roots,  while  the  cavity  extends 
to  the  distance  of  forty  feet' — large  enough  for  a  horseman 
to  ride  in,  and,  turning  round,  return.  We  now  reach 
the  "  Beauty  of  the  Forest,"  a  tree  sixty- five  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, fully  three  hundred  feet  high,  symmetrical  in 
form,  and  adorned  with  a  magnificent  crest  of  foliage. 
Beaching  the  road,  and  returning  to  the  house,  we  pass 
the  "Two  Guardsmen,"  which  tower  to  the  height  of 
three  hundred  feet,  and  are  sixty-five  and  seventy  feet 
in  circumference,  forming  an  appropriate  gateway  to  this 
wonderful  forest. 

Two  of  these  trees  have  been  used  for  the  satisfaction 
of  public  curiosity  at  a  distance  from  their  home.  One 
of  the  noblest,  called  the  "  Big  Tree,"  was  felled ;  a  work 
of  no  small  labour,  since  the  trunk  was  ninety-six  feet  in 
circumference  at  the  base,  and  solid  throughout.  It  was 
effected  by  boring  holes  with  augers,  which  were  then 
connected  by  means  of  the  axe,  and  occupied  twenty-five 
men  for  five  days.  But  even  when  this  was  done,  so 
accurately  perpendicular  was  the  noble  column  that  it 
would  not  fall,  and  it  was  only  by  applying  a  wedge  and 
strong  leverage,  during  a  heavy  breeze,  that  its  overthrow 
was  at  last  effected.  In  falling  it  seemed  to  shake  the 
ground  like  an  earthquake ;  and  its  immense  weight 
forced  it  into  the  soft  virgin  soil,  so  that  it  lies  imbedded 
in  a  trench,  and  the  stones  and  earth  were  hurled  up- 
ward by  the  shock  with  such  force  that  these  records 
of  the  fall  may  be  seen  on  the  surrounding  trees  to  the 

height  of  nearly  a  hundred  feet.    The  stump  was  smoothed, 

K 


1 46  THE  VAST. 

and  has  been  fitted  up  for  theatrical  performances  and 
balls,  affording  ample  room  for  thirty-two  dancers.  The 
bark  was  removed  for  a  certain  length,  and  being  put 
up  symmetrically,  as  it  originally  subsisted,  constituted 
a  large  room,  furnished  with  a  carpet,  a  piano,  and  seats 
for  forty  persons.  In  this  state  it  was  exhibited  in  various 
cities  of  America  and  Europe. 

So  successful  was  this  speculation,  that  another  hero 
of  the  Barnum  tribe  proceeded  to  separate  the  entire  bark 
from  the  "  Mother  of  the  Forest,"  to  a  height  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  feet,  removing  it  in  sections,  carefully 
marked  and  numbered,  for  future  reconstruction.  It  is 
this  trophy  which  has  been  exhibited  in  London,  first  in 
Newman  Street,  and  afterwards  at  the  Adelaide  Gallery. 
These  buildings,  however,  would  not  admit  of  the  erection 
of  the  whole,  so  that  it  was  removed  in  1856  to  the  Crys- 
tal Palace,  where  it  now  delights  the  eyes  of  thousands 
daily. 

Perhaps  we  can  scarcely  regret  the  removal  and  trans- 
port of  these  relics,  especially  as  it  is  said  the  "Mother" 
has  not  been  perceptibly  injured  in  health  by  the  abstrac- 
tion of  her  outer  garment.  Yet  it  is  a  matter  of  congra- 
tulation that  pecuniary  avidity  will  no  further  diminish 
this  noble  grove,  for  the  law  has  now  prohibited  the 
injury  of  any  more  trees,  on  any  pretence  whatever.* 

All  these  are  the  mighty  works  of  an  Almighty  God ; 
not  self-produced,  as  some  would  fain  assure  us,  by  the 

*  This  account  is  chiefly  condensed  from  a  memoir  by  Dr  Berthold 
Seemann,  F.L.S.,  in  the  Annals  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist,  for  March  1859. 


DOXOLOGY. 


147 


operation  of  what  are  called  eternal  "  laws,"  but  designed 
by  a  Personal  Intelligence,  created  by  a  Living  Word,  and 
upheld  by  an  Active  Power. 

"  Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth,  ye  dragons,  and  all 
deeps :  .  .  .  mountains,  and  all  hills ;  fruitful  trees,  and 
all  cedars  ;  beasts  and  all  cattle ;  creeping  things,  and 
flying  fowl !  His  glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heaven." 
(Ps.  cxlviii.) 


VI. 

THE  MINUTE. 

IF  great  bulk  excites  our  admiration,  so  does  great  minute- 
ness. He  who  of  old  wrote  the  Iliad  within  the  com- 
pass of  a  nut-shell,  might  have  copied  the  poem  a  hun- 
dred times  over,  without  eliciting  one  puff  of  that  gas 
which  enabled  him  "  hominum  volitare  per  ora,"  if  he  had 
confined  himself  to  the  ordinary  scale  ;  and  the  curious 
interest  with  which  we  gaze  on  a  dozen  spoons  carved  out 
of  one  cherry-stone,  and  enclosed  in  another,  we  should 
not  think  of  bestowing  on  the  same  number  of  dessert 
spoons  in  the  plate-basket.  The  excessive  minuteness  of 
the  object  in  question  is  the  point  to  be  admired,  and  yet 
not  mere  minuteness  ;  we  might  see  objects  much  smaller, 
atoms  of  dust  for  instance,  and  pass  them  by  without  a 
thought.  There  must  be  minuteness  combined  with  a  com- 
plexity, which,  in  our  ordinary  habit  of  thinking,  we  asso- 
ciate with  far  greater  dimensions  :  in  the  one  case,  the 
number,  form,  and  order  of  the  letters  that  make  up  the 
poem  ;  in  the  other,  the  number,  shape,  and  carving  of 
the  toy-spoons. 

And  thus,  when  we  look  on  the  tiny  harvest  mouse, 
two  of  which  scarcely  weigh  a  halfpenny,  and  which 
brings  up  its  large  little  family  of  eight  hopeful  mouse- 


COMPLEXITY  OF  STRUCTURE.  149 

lings  in  a  nest  no  bigger  than  a  cricket-ball,  or  the  still 
tinier  Etruscan  shrew,  it  greatly  enhances  our  interest  to 
know  that  every  essential  organ  is  there  which  is  in  the 
giant  rorqual  of  a  hundred  feet.  The  humming-bird  is 
constructed  exactly  on  the  same  model  as  to  essentials  as 
the  condor ;  the  little  sphserodactyle,  which  we  might  put 
into  a  quill-barrel,  and  carry  home  in  the  waistcoat  pocket, 
as  the  mighty  crocodile  ;  the  mackerel-midge,  which  never 
surpasses  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  length,  as  the  huge 
basking-shark  of  six-and-thirty  feet. 

Complexity  of  structure,  the  multiplicity  and  variety  of 
organs,  do  not  depend  upon  actual  dimensions,  but  rather 
upon  the  position  in  the  great  plan  of  organic  existence 
which  the  creature  in  question  occupies.  The  harvest 
mouse  possesses  a  much  more  elaborate  organisation  than 
the  vast  shark  or  colossal  snake.  In  general,  the  creatures 
of  simple  structure  are  minute, — the  most  simple,  the  most 
minute ;  but  we  need  to  limit  this  proposition  by  many 
conditions  and  exceptions,  before  we  shall  fully  apprehend 
the  true  state  of  the  case.  Ignorant  exhibitors  of  oxy- 
hydrogen  microscopes  will  frequently,  indeed,  be  heard  to 
declare  that  all  the  specks  that  are  seen  shooting  to  and 
fro,  or  revolving,  top- fashion,  in  their  populous  drops  of 
water,  are  furnished  with  all  the  organs,  tissues,  and 
members,  that  constitute  the  human  frame ;  and  similar 
statements  were  not  uncommon  in  cheap  compilations  of 
natural  history  a  few  years  ago.  This  has  been  abund- 
antly shewn  to  be  erroneous ;  but  the  tendency  has  been  to 
run  into  an  opposite  extreme ;  and  to  assume  that  what  are 


1  50  THE  MINUTE. 

called  "  low  forms  "  of  organic  life  are  exceedingly  simple 
in  their  structure.  There  is,  I  say,  error  here ;  the  mi- 
croscope is  daily  revealing  the  fact,  that  in  such  beings 
the  tissues  that  had  been  too  hastily  thought  simple  and 
almost  homogeneous  are  really  complex,  and  that  systems 
of  organs  of  the  most  elaborate  character  are  present, 
which  had  been  altogether  overlooked  and  unsuspected. 

What  is  more  interesting  than  an  examination,  by  means 
of  a  first-rate  microscope,  of  a  tiny  atom,  that  inhabits 
almost  every  clear  ditch, — the  Melicerta  ?  The  smallest 
point  that  you  could  make  with  the  finest  steel-pen  would 
be  too  coarse  and  large  to  represent  its  natural  dimen- 
sions ;  yet  it  inhabits  a  snug  little  house  of  its  own  con- 
struction, which  it  has  built  up  stone  by  stone,  cementing 
each  with  perfect  symmetry,  and  with  all  the  skill  of  an 
accomplished  mason,  as  it  proceeded.  It  collects  the 
material  for  its  mortar,  and  mingles  it;  it  collects  the 
material  for  its  bricks,  and  moulds  them ;  and  this  with  a 
precision  only  equalled  by  the  skill  with  which  it  lays 
them  when  they  are  made.  As  might  be  supposed,  with 
such  duties  to  perform,  the  little  animal  is  furnished  with 
an  apparatus  quite  unique,  a  set  of  machinery,  to  which, 
if  we  searched  through  the  whole  range  of  beasts,  birds, 
reptiles,  and  fishes,  and  then,  by  way  of  supplement, 
examined  the  five  hundred  thousand  species  of  insects  to 
boot, — we  should  find  no  parallel. 

The  whole  apparatus  is  exquisitely  beautiful.  The 
head  of  the  pellucid  and  colourless  animal  unfolds  into 
a  broad  transparent  disk,  the  edge  of  which  is  moulded 


THE  MELTCERTA.  151 

into  four  rounded  segments,  not  unlike  the  flower  of  the 
heart's-ease,  supposing  the  fifth  petal  to  be  obsolete.  The 
entire  margin  of  this  flower-like  disk  is  set  with  fine 
vibratile  cilia,  the  current  produced  by  which  runs  uni- 
formly in  one  direction.  Thus  there  is  a  strong  and 
rapid  set  of  water  around  the  edge  of  the  disk,  following 
all  its  irregularities  of  outline,  and  carrying  with  it  the 
floating  particles  of  matter,  which  are  drawn  into  the 
stream.  At  every  circumvolution  of  this  current,  however, 
as  its  particles  arrive  in  succession  at  one  particular  point, 
viz.,  the  great  depression  between  the  two  uppermost 
petals,  a  portion  of  these  escape  from  the  revolving 
direction,  and  pass  off  in  a  line  along  the  summit  of  the 
face  towards  the  front,  till  they  merge  in  a  curious  little 
cup-shaped  cavity,  seated  on  what  we  may  call  the  chin. 

This  tiny  cup  is  the  mould  in  which  the  bricks  are 
made,  one  by  one  as  they  are  wanted  for  use.  The 
hemispherical  interior  is  ciliated,  and  hence  the  contents 
are  maintained  in  rapid  rotation.  These  contents  are  the 
atoms  of  sedimentary  and  similar  matter,  which  have 
been  gradually  accumulated  in  the  progress  of  the  ciliary 
current ;  and  these,  by  the  rotation  within  the  cup  becom- 
ing consolidated,  probably  also  with  the  aid  of  a  viscid 
secretion  elaborated  for  the  purpose,  form  a  globular 
pellet,  which  as  soon  as  made  is  deposited,  by  a  sudden 
inflexion  of  the  animal,  on  the  edge  of  the  tube  or  case,  at 
the  exact  spot  where  it  is  wanted.  The  entire  process  of 
making  and  depositing  a  pellet  occupies  about  three 
minutes. 


152  THE  MINUTE. 

I  say  nothing  about  the  other  systems  of  organs  con- 
tained in  this  living  atom :  the  arrangements  destined  to 
subserve  the  purposes  of  digestion,  circulation,  respiration, 
reproduction,  locomotion,  sensation,  &c.,  though  these  are 
all  more  or  less  clearly  distinguishable  in  the  tissues  of  the 
animal,  which  is  as  translucent  as  glass,  For  the  moment 
I  ask  attention  only  to  the  elaborate  conformation  of 
organs,  which  I  have  briefly  described,  for  the  special 
purpose  of  building  a  dwelling.  No  description  that  I 
could  draw  up,  however,  could  convey  any  idea  approach- 
ing to  that  which  would  be  evoked  by  one  good  sight  of 
the  little  creature  actually  at  work ; — a  most  charming 
spectacle,  and  one  which,  from  the  commonness  of  the 
animal,  and  its  ready  performance  of  its  functions  under 
the  microscope,  is  very  easy  to  be  attained. 

It  is  impossible  to  witness  the  constructive  operations 
of  the  melicerta  without  being  convinced  that  it  possesses 
mental  faculties,  at  least  if  we  allow  these  to  any  animals 
below  man.  If,  when  the  chinpanzee  weaves  together  the 
branches  of  a  tree  to  make  himself  a  bed;  when  the  beaver, 
in  concert  with  his  fellows,  gnaws  down  the  birch  sap- 
lings, and  collects  clay  to  form  a  dam ;  when  the  martin 
brings  together  pellets  of  mud  and  arranges  them  under 
our  eaves  into  a  hollow  receptacle  for  her  eggs  and  young, 
— we  do  not  hesitate  to  recognise  mind — call  it  instinct, 
or  reason,  or  a  combination  of  both, — how  can  we  fail  to 
see  that  in  the  operations  of  the  invisible  animalcule  there 
are  the  workings  of  an  immaterial  principle  ?  There  must 
be  a  power  to  judge  of  the  condition  of  its  case,  of  the 


THE  INVISIBLE  WORLD.  153 

height  to  which  it  must  be  carried,  of  the  time  when  this 
must  be  done ;  a  will  to  commence  and  to  go  on,  a  will  to 
leave  off,  (for  the  ciliary  current  is  entirely  under  control) ; 
a  consciousness  of  the  readiness  of  the  pellet ;  an  accurate 
estimate  of  the  spot  where  it  needs  to  be  deposited  ;  (may  I 
not  say  also,  a  memory  where  the  previous  ones  had  been 
laid,  since  the  deposition  does  not  go  on  in  regular  suc- 
cession, but  now  and  then,  yet  so  as  to  keep  the  edge 
tolerably  uniform  in  height  ?) ;  and  a  will  to  determine  that 
there  it  shall  be  put.  But  surely  these  are  mental  powers. 
Yet  mind  animating  an  atom  so  small  that  your  eyes 
strained  to  the  utmost  can  only  just  discern  the  speck  in 
the  most  favourable  circumstances,  as  when  you  hold  the 
glass  which  contains  it  between  your  eye  and  the  light,  so 
that  the  ray  shall  illumine  the  tiny  form  while  the  back- 
ground is  dark  behind  it ! 

tit  is  a  startling  thought  that  there  exists  a  world  of 
animated  beings  densely  peopling  the  elements  around  us, 
of  which  our  senses  are  altogether  uncognisant.  For 
six  thousand  years  generation  after  generation  of  Rotifer  a 

I  and  Entomostraca,  of  Infusoria  and  Protozoa  have  been 
living  and  dying,  under  the  very  eyes  and  in  the  very 
hands  of  man ;  and,  until  this  last  century  or  so,  he  has 
no  more  suspected  their  existence  than  if  "  the  scene  of 
their  sorrow  "  had  been  the  ring  of  Saturn.  Dr  Mantell 
wrote  a  pretty  book,  the  secondary  title  of  which  was  "  A 
Glimpse  of  the  Invisible  World."  It  was  a  book  about  the 
Animalcules,  which  are  revealed  only  by  the  microscope ; 
and  though  it  gave  little  original  information,  and  some  of 


]  5-4  THE  MINUTE. 

that  unsound,  yet,  for  the  time,  when  the  microscope  was 
in  far  fewer  hands  than  it  is  now,  it  contained  much  to 
interest  and  much  to  instruct.  The  minutely  invisible 
world  has  now  become  tolerably  familiar  to  most  persons 
of  education;  and  thousands  of  eyes  are  almost  constantly 
gazing  on  the  surprising  forms  of  animals  and  plants, 
which  the  microscope  reveals. 

The  study  of  one  particular  class  of  these  organisms, 
the  Diatoms,  has  become  quite  a  fashion,  and  the  reunions 
of  our  microscopists  are  almost  exclusively  occupied  with 
the  names,  the  scientific  arrangement,  the  forms  and 
sculpturings  of  these  singular  objects.  I  have  already 
had  occasion  to  mention  them  in  relation  to  the  important 
part  they  play  in  the  economy  of  creation  ;  but  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  devote  a  few  words  more  to  them,  with  the 
view  to  make  the  reader  better  acquainted  with  their 
general  appearance. 

A  flat  pill-box  or  cylindrical  tin  canister,  which  is  much 
wider  than  it  is  deep,  will  give  a  good  idea  of  many  of 
the  Diatoms,  such  as  Arachnodiscus.  The  top  and  bot- 
tom of  the  box  are  formed  by  flat  circular  glassy  plates, 
called  valves,  and  the  sides  by  a  ring  or  hoop  of  similar 
material.  Sometimes  the  outline  of  the  valves  (with 
which  the  hoop  agrees)  is  oval,  or  oblong,  or  square,  or 
triangular,  instead  of  circular ;  and  their  surface  is  some- 
times convex  in  various  degrees,  but  the  side  is  generally 
upright,  or  in  other  words,  the  surface  of  the  hoop  passes 
in  a  straight  line  from  the  edge  of  one  valve,  whatever  its 
outline,  to  that  of  the  other. 


AEAOHNODTSCUS.  155 

Here  then  is  a  box  formed  of  pure  transparent  flint- 
glass,  very  thin  and  delicate,  and  very  brittle.  The 
valves  are  marked  with  minute  dots,  which  appear  to  be 
either  knobs  or  pits ;  or  with  lines,  either  depressed  or 
raised.  In  the  beautiful  Arachnodiscus,  both  of  these 
modes  of  sculpturing  are  present.  Each  valve  is  marked 
with  a  number  of  most  delicate  lines,  which  radiate  from 
a  central  circle  of  dots  to  the  circumference ;  these  radii 
are  connected  by  a  multitude  of  cross  lines,  bearing  the 
closest  resemblance  to  the  elegant  webs  spun  by  our 
common  geometric  spiders,  whence  the  name  given  to  the 
genus  ;  while  in  the  spaces  marked  out  by  these  reticula- 
tions there  are  rows  of  minute  round  dots.  Altogether,  the 
effect  of  this  complex  pattern  of  sculpture  is  most  charming, 
and  is  heightened  by  the  brilliant  translucent  material  in 
which  it  is  wrought,  which,  as  has  already  been  observed, 
is  like  the  purest  glass. 

During  life  there  is,  in  every  individual,  a  small  round 
body  in  the  centre  of  the  enclosed  cavity,  called  the  nucleus, 
and  this  is  surrounded  by  irregular  masses  of  yellowish 
substance,  called  the  endochrome,  the  nature  of  which  is 
not  very  clearly  ascertained.  The  single  specimen,  in- 
cluding the  two  valves  and  the  hoop,  with  their  contents, 
is  called  afrustule. 

The  manner  in  which  these  beautiful,  but  most  minute 
atoms  increase,  is  highly  curious.  The  pill-box-like  frus- 
tule  becomes  deeper  by  the  widening  of  the  hoop,  thus 
pushing  the  valves  further  from  each  other ;  then  across 
the  middle  two  membranes  form,  which,  by  and  by,  from 


156  THE  MINUTE. 

the  deposition  of  flinty  matter,  become  glassy  valves,  cor- 
responding to  the  two  outer  valves,  and  then  the  whole 
frustule  separates  between  these  two  new  valves,  and 
forms  two  frustules.  The  old  hoop  (in  some  cases  at 
least)  falls  off,  or  allows  the  hoops  of  the  new-made  frus- 
tules to  slip  out  of  it,  like  the  inner  tubes  out  of  a  tele- 
scope. 

Now,  the  separation  of  the  frustules  thus  made  is  not 
always  so  complete,  but  that  they  remain  adherent  to  one 
another,  by  some  point  of  contact ;  and  hence  arises  a 
most  singular  and  interesting  appearance  often  presented 
by  these  bodies.  Let  us  suppose  that  the  original  frustule 
was  of  the  shape  of  a  brick,  and  that  by  successive  acts  of 
self-division,  it  has  formed  itself  into  a  number,  say  a 
dozen  of  bricks.  These,  of  course,  are  laid  one  on  another, 
forming  a  pile ;  but  all  the  individuals  adhere  to  one 
another  by  a  minute  point  at  one  corner,  and  the  matter 
of  adherence  is  sufficiently  tenacious  and  sufficiently 
yielding  to  allow  of  the  brick-shaped  frustules  moving 
freely  apart  in  every  point,  except  just  the  connecting 
angle.  It  is  not  the  same  corner  that  adheres  all  up  the 
pile ;  more  frequently  opposite  corners  alternate  with  each 
other,  yet  not  very  regularly,  and  thus  an  angularly  jointed 
chain  of  the  little  bodies  is  formed,  which  is  very  charac- 
teristic. In  some  species,  in  which  the  form  is  a  lengthened 
oblong,  the  frustules  have  the  faculty  of  sliding  partially 
over  each  other,  and  thus  the  chain  resembles  a  series  of 
long  steps. 

Sometimes  the  frustules,  perhaps  of  a  graceful  wedge- 


DIATOMACE^J.  15? 

like  outline,  are  attached  at  the  end  of  long  slender  threads, 
which  grow  from  a  common  point,  and  radiate  in  a  beauti- 
ful fan-like  manner ;  at  other  times,  the  frustule  is  of  an 
irregular  trapezoidal  form,  and  is  connected  with  its 
fellows  by  a  short  intervening  band.  Perhaps  the  most 
common  form  of  all  is  that  of  an  italic  /  without  the 
terminal  dots,  each  frustule  being  unconnected  with 
others.  These  have  the  power  of  spontaneous  motion ; 
and  it  is  very  interesting  to  mark  them  creeping  along  in 
a  vagrant,  jerking  manner  over  the  field  of  the  microscope, 
making  no  inconsiderable  progress. 

There  are,  then,  several  circumstances  which  combine 
to  make  the  economy  of  these  creatures  full  of  interest, 
and  give  them  a  strong  hold  on  our  imagination. 

1.  Their  inconceivable  multitudes,  and  their  universal 
distribution,  especially  in  the  waters  of  our  globe,  from 
the  equator  to  the  poles,  or  at  least  as  near  to  them  as 
man  has  been  able  to  investigate,  the  everlasting  glaciers 
of  the  icy  seas  being  conspicuously  stained  with  them. 

2.  The  vast  part  assigned  to  them  in  the  economy  of 
creation,  since,  as  we  have  seen,  they  not  only  enter  largely 
into  the  composition  of  the  solid  crust  of  the  globe,  but 
sustain  (mediately)  the  life  of  its  very  hugest  creatures.* 

3.  The  very  great  variety  of  forms  assumed  by  the 
different  kinds. 

4.  Their  marvellous  elegance  and  beauty,  consisting  in 
their  material,  their  shapes,  and  their  sculpturing. 

5.  Their   spontaneous   movements,   and  the  mystery 

*  See  supra,  p.  101. 


15S  THE  MINUTE. 

which  hangs  over  the  manner  in  which  these  are  performed, 
a  mystery  which  all  the  perseverance  of  hundreds  of  the 
best  microscopists  has  not  yet  been  able  to  dissipate. 

6.  The  power  which  their  structure  possesses  of  taking 
up  the  siliceous  matter  held  in  solution  in  the  waters,  and 
forming  of  it  solid  flint, — a  process  which  excites  our 
wonder  and  which  is  quite  beyond  our  comprehension. 

7.  The  uncertainty  which  attends  our  conclusions  as  to 
their  true  character.    Are  they  animals  ?    Are  they  plants  ? 
The  question  .is  still  before  the  judges.     Ehrenberg  and 
other  names  of  high  eminence  have  set  them  down  as 
animals,  but  the  preponderance  of  modern  opinion  is  in 
favour  of  their  vegetable  nature.     And  there  are  some 
who  would  fain  make  of  them  a  fourth  kingdom,  neither 
animal,  nor  vegetable,  nor  mineral,  but  an  independent 
group  possessing  affinities  with  all. 

8.  Their  minute  dimensions.      The  actual  size  varies 
exceedingly,  according  to  the  species,  between  one-fiftieth, 
and  one  six-thousandth  of  an  inch,  or  even  wider  limits. 
Perhaps,  however,  we  may  set  down  as  an  average  size 
for  an  oblong  frustule,  a  length  of  one-thousandth  of  an 
inch,  and  a  width  of  one-five-thousandth ;  that  is,  that  if 
you  could  make  a  chain  of  them,  set  end  to  end,  in  contact, 
it  would  take  a  thousand  specimens  to  measure  an  inch, 
while,  if  you  made  a  row  of  them,  side  by  side,  five 
thousand  would  be  required  to  fill  the  same  extent. 

Highly  attractive  to  a  young  observer  is  the  variety  of 
life  which  meets  his  eye,  as  he  examines,  with  a  good 
microscope,  a  drop  of  water  from  some  pool  rich  in 


LIFE  IN  A  DROP  OF  WATER.  159 

organisms.  Suppose  he  has  nipped  off  the  growing  ter- 
minal bud  of  some  Myriophyllum  or  Nitella,  and,  having  a 
little  broken  it  down  with  the  point  of  a  needle,  has  placed 
it  in  the  animalcule-box  of  the  instrument,  with  a  small 
quantity  of  the  water  in  which  it  grew,  selected  from  the 
sediment  of  the  pool-bottom.  The  amount  of  life  at  first 
is  bewildering ;  motion  is  in  every  part  of  the  field ; 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  pellucid  bodies  are  darting 
across,  making  a  mazy  confusion  of  lines.  Some  are  mere 
immensurable  points  without  apparent  form  or  diameter ; 
others  are  definable  and  of  exceedingly  various  shapes. 
Aggregations  of  little  transparent  pears,*  clinging  together 
by  their  stalks  so  as  to  form  balls,  go  revolving  merrily 
through  their  waste  of  waters.  Presently  one  of  the  pears 
severs  its  connexion  with  the  family,  and  sets  out  on  a 
voyage  on  its  own  individual  responsibility  ;  then  another 
parts  company ;  and  you  see  that  there  are  plenty  more 
of  the  same  sort,  roving  singly  as  well  as  in  clusters ; 
little  tops  of  clear  jelly  with  a  few  specks  in  the  interior. 
Here  comes  rolling  by,  with  majestic  slowness,  a  globe  of 
glass,  with  sixteen  emeralds  imbedded  in  its  substance, 
symmetrically  arranged,-)*  each  emerald  carrying  a  tiny 
ruby  at  one  end ;  a  most  charming  group.  Elegant 
forms,};  resembling  fishes,  or  battledores,  or  poplar-leaves, 
for  they  are  of  many  kinds,  all  of  a  rich  opaque  green 
hue,  with  a  large  transparent  orange-coloured  spot,  wriggle 
sluggishly  by,  the  leaves  now  and  then  rolling  themselves 
up  spirally,  and  progressing  in  a  cork-screw  fashion. 
*  Uvella.  f  Eudorina.  +  Euglena. 


1GO  THE  MINUTE. 

Disks  of  clear  jelly*  are  seen,  which  are  continually  altering 
their  outline,  so  that  you  soon  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  have  no  particular  form,  but  every  imaginable 
one  in  turn.  The  mass,  which  seems  a  mere  drop  of  thin 
glaire,  almost  or  quite  homogeneous,  with  only  one  or  two 
bubbles  in  it,  pushes  out  points  and  projections  from  its 
outline,  excavates  other  parts,  lengthens  here,  rounds  off 
a  point  there,  and  this  as  long  as  we  look  at  it,  so  that  it 
never  appears  twice  in  the  same  shape.  Here  a  tiny 
atom'f  arrests  the  eye  by  its  singular  movements.  Its 
appearance  is  that  of  an  irregular  ball,  with  a  bright  spot 
near  the  circumference  ;  the  whole  surface  set  with  bristles 
projecting  obliquely  from  the  periphery,  not  perpendicu- 
larly, much  thicker  and  stronger  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
bright  spot.  It  remains  in  one  place  spinning  round 
and  round  upon  its  centre,  sometimes  so  rapidly  as  to 
preclude  any  sight  of  its  distinctive  characters,  at  others 
more  deliberately,  displaying  its  bristles  and  surface. 
Sometimes  it  rolls  over  in  all  directions,  as  if  to  let  us  see 
that  it  is  sub-spherical,  not  discoid.  And  now  and  then 
it  takes  a  sudden  spring  sideways,  to  a  distance  perhaps 
twenty  times  its  diameter,  when  it  spins  as  before,  or  else 
skips  about  several  times  in  succession.  Altogether  this 
is  a  very  active  little  merry-andrew. 

A  great  oblong  purplish  mass  j  comes  rolling  along,  a 
very  Triton  among  the  minnows.  He  suddenly  arrests  liis 
headlong  course,  makes  his  hinder-end  take  hold  of  a 
fragment  of  leaf,  and  unfolds  his  other  end  into  an  elegant 

*  Amceba.         f  Perhaps  Trlchodina  grandindla.         J  Stentor. 


THE  STENTOR.  161 

trumpet,  with  one  portion  of  the  lip  rolled-in  with  a  sort 
of  volute,  something  like  the  beautiful  African  Arum  or 
Calla.  The  body  now  lengthens,  and  goes  on  lengthen- 
ing, until  the  lower  part,  which  is  adherent,  is  drawn  out 
to  a  very  slender  foot.  The  open  mouth,  studded  round 
with  a  wreath  of  vigorous  cilia  in  rapid  rotatory  motion, 
strikes  us  with  a  pleased  surprise.  The  cilia  are  seen, 
like  hooks,  at  those  parts  of  the  circle,  which  in  perspec- 
tive are  brought  in  or  near  the  line  of  vision,  either 
turned  outward  or  inward  according  as  their  motion  is 
more  or  less  rapid ;  the  other  parts  of  the  wreath  being 
visible  only  as  a  thin  film  along  the  line  of  their  points, 
and  like  little  teeth  at  their  bases.  The  obscure  semi- 
transparency  of  the  texture  of  the  animal  renders  it  very 
difficult  to  discern  the  form  of  the  trumpet-outline  satis- 
factorily ;  at  one  time  it  appears  as  if  circular,  but  with 
a  large  round  piece  cut  out  of  one  side ;  which  yet  has  a 
thin  filmy  edge,  as  if  the  hiatus  were  covered  by  a  trans- 
parent membrane.  Then  perhaps  the  mouth  is  turned 
slightly  towards  the  eye,  and  this  hiatus  is  no  longer  dis- 
cernible anywhere,  but  one  part  of  the  margin  is  rolled 
inwards  spirally,  but  how  the  other  part  joins  this  it  is 
difficult  to  see.  Then  suddenly  the  orifice  appears  again, 
but  as  a  large  round  hole  cut  out  of  the  side,  with  the 
margin  quite  entire  above  it ;  then  in  a  moment  this 
aperture  is  seen  rapidly  to  contract,  and  close  up  to  a 
point.  But  all  these  appearances, — the  mystery  of  which 
so  greatly  heightens  the  interest  of  these  creatures  to  a 
young  observer, — seem  to  depend  on  the  presence  of  a 


102  THE  MINUTE. 

contractile  bladder  which  alternately  fills  and  empties  it- 
self, and,  when  distended,  frequently  displaces  the  coloured 
parenchyma  or  flesh,  to  such  a  degree  that  only  the  thin- 
nest film  of  transparent  skin  bounds  it  externally. 

The  tuft  of  needle-like  leaves,  too,  is  full  of  life.  To 
the  outer  ones  are  clinging  multitudes  of  Diatoms  in  fans 
and  fantastic  chains ;  and  multitudes  more  of  single  ones 
are  sprawling  about  the  field,  contrasting,  by  their  slow, 
jerking  progress,  with  the  rapid,  headlong  dash  of  tlie 
animalcules.  On  the  plant-stem,  as  if  on  solid  ground, 
is  fixed  a  beautiful  tree,*  with  many  slender,  divergent 
branches,  springing  from  a  straight  trunk.  The  branches 
bear,  instead  of  leaves,  elegant  transparent  bells  or  wine- 
glass-like vases,  which  are  scattered  thickly  over  them ; 
and  each  vase  is  furnished  with  a  ring  of  cilia  round  the 
mouth,  which  rotates  while  it  is  open,  but  which  at  will 
can  be  withdrawn  and  quite  concealed  by  the  closing  up 
of  the  mouth.  Every  moment  one  or  other  of  the  numer- 
ous branches  contracts  spirally,  with  force,  like  a  wire- 
spring  when  weighted,  and  then  deliberately  straightens 
itself  again.  And,  now  and  then,  the  main  trunk  itself 
contracts  in  the  same  manner,  but  less  perfectly;  and 
when  it  extends  we  may  see  a  band  running  down 
through  the  middle  of  its  pellucid  substance,  in  which 
the  contractile  power  manifestly  resides,  and  which  is 
probably  of  the  nature  of  muscle.  The  elegant  vases 
have  several  globules  of  yellowish  matter  in  their  clear 
substance,  which  seem  to  be  stomachs,  or  more  correctly 

*  CarcJiesium. 


THE  FLOSCULAR1A.  163 

temporary  cavities  for  the  reception  of  food ;  for  if  a  little 
indigo  or  carmine  be  mingled  with  the  drop  of  water,  the 
ciliary  rotation  brings  it  to  the  mouth,  and  presently  we 
see  globules  of  a  faint  blue  or  pink  hue  appear  in  the 
colourless  flesh,  and  these  speedily  augment  the  depth  of 
their  tint,  as  more  and  more  of  the  pigment  is  imbibed, 
until  they  at  length  attain  the  richest  deep  blue,  or  full 
crimson. 

The  observer  may,  perhaps,  see  also  that  most  elegant 
of  animalcules  the  Floscularia.  A  tube  of  jelly  stands  up 
from  one  of  the  leaves,  so  filmy  and  transparent,  that  one 
perceives  it  only  by  the  sedimentary  matters  that  have 
become  entangled  in  its  outer  surface.  It  seems  to  be  de- 
posited progressively, — a  mucus  excreted  and  thrown  off 
by  the  skin  of  the  tenant ;  and  hence  the  upper  portion, 
being  the  most  recently  formed,  is  destitute  of  such  ex- 
traneous substances,  and  can  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
be  traced  to  its  termination.  Within  this  tube  resides 
the  beautiful  constructor  ;  a  very  slender  foot  or  pedicle, 
capable  of  being  drawn  out  to  such  a  length  as  to  equal 
that  of  the  tube,  and  of  being  suddenly  contracted  at  the 
pleasure  of  the  animal,  merges  into  an  ovate  body  of 
translucent  flesh,  in  which  all  the  organs  are  clearly  visi- 
ble. The  upper  portion  expands  into  a  most  exquisite 
disk  or  shallow  cup  of  clear  gelatinous  membrane,  having 
five  angles,  each  angle  being  terminated  by  a  rounded 
knob.  Each  of  these  five  knobs  is  the  seat  of  a  pencil  of 
long  straight  bristles,  of  the  most  subtle  tenuity,  which 
look  as  if  they  had  been  drawn  out  of  the  finest  spun-glass. 


1  64<  THE  MINUTE. 

There  may  be  perhaps  fifty  hairs  in  each  pencil,  which 
radiate  from  their  common  base  in  all  directions,  and,  as 
they  are  graduated  in  length,  the  effect  of  these  hairs  is 
most  charming.  Any  little  shock,  such  as  a  jar  to  the 
table,  or  the  shutting  of  a  door,  alarms  the  beautiful  crea- 
ture, and  it  suddenly  closes  up  its  elegant  flower,  and 
retreats  into  its  tube,  the  hairs  forming  a  cylindrical 
bundle  as  it  goes  down.  It  presently  emerges  again,  how- 
ever, and  unfolds  its  array  as  before.  The  pencils  of 
hairs  are  carried  quite  motionless  when  expanded,  but 
when  the  united  bundle  is  in  the  act  of  protrusion,  a  kind 
of  thrill,  a  quivering  wave,  is  frequently  seen  to  run 
through  it  from  end  to  end.  There  is  a  wreath  of  rotat- 
ing cilia  on  the  face  of  the  disk,  the  effect  of  which  is  to 
draw  floating  bodies  around  into  its  vortex;  and  the 
little  giddy  monads,  that  are  whirling  heedlessly  along, 
may  be  seen  to  be  thus  entrapped  by  the  living  whirl- 
pool, one  after  another,  and  engulphed  in  the  transparent 
prison.  And  there  we  may  follow  them  with  our  eye,  and 
watch  their  fate.  Hurled  round  and  round  in  the  capa- 
cious crop,  a  pair  of  nipper-like  jaws  at  length  catches 
hold  of  them,  gives  them  a  squeeze,  lets  them  go  round 
again,  presently  seizes  and  nips  them  again,  until,  after 
a  few  preliminary  bruisings  of  this  sort,  the  ill-fated 
atom  suddenly  goes  with  a  gulp  down  a  kind  of  trap-door 
into  the  true  digestive  stomach,  and  is  presently  dimmed 
and  lost  in  the  mass. 

Several   tiny   creatures   are   labouring  with   the  most 
praiseworthy  industry  among  the  close  leaves  of  the  plant, 


THE  NOTOMMATA.  J  65 

Here  is  one  which  may  remind  us  of  a  guinea-pig  in  its 
general  outline,  but  you  must  suppose  the  two  hind-feet 
to  be  changed  into  a  divergent  fork,  and  the  fore-feet  to 
be  obliterated.*  It  is  a  most  restless  little  rogue  ;  rang- 
ing among  the  filamentous  leaves  of  the  Myriophyllum 
with  incessant  activity,  he  now  pokes  his  way  through 
some  narrow  aperture,  using  his  curious  forked  foot  as  a 
point  of  resistance,  now  pauses  to  nibble  among  the  decay- 
ing rind,  and  now  scuttles  off  through  the  open  water  to 
some  other  part.  We  see  his  large  eye,  shining  with  the 
colour  of  a  ruby,  and  set,  like  that  of  Polyphemus,  right  in 
the  middle  of  his  forehead,  and  his  curious  apparatus  of 
jaws,  the  points  of  which  are  protruded  from  the  front  of 
his  head,  and  vigorously  Worked,  when  he  is  grubbing 
among  the  decaying  vegetable  matter,  adding  continually 
morsel  after  morsel  to  the  great  mass  of  yellow-green 
food,  which  is  already  swelling  out  his  abdomen  to  a  pig- 
like  plumpness.  And  when  he  swims  away  and  gives  a 
fair  view  of  his  back  to  us,  we  notice  the  evolution  of  a 
pair  of  hemispherical  swellings,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
broad  head,  and  which  are  evidently  connected  with  his 
locomotion.  The  whole  front  is  clothed  with  vibrating 
cilia,  but  they  are  more  developed  on  these  organs,  which 
are  only  pushed  out  at  the  will  of  the  little  animal,  when 
they  form  strong  vortical  currents. 

In  another  part  of  the  bunch  of  leaves  possibly  a  group 
of  Salpince  may  be  feeding  equally  busily.  These  are 
something  like  the  former,  but  their  bodies  are  inclosed 

*  Notommata  lacinulata. 


166  THE  MINUTE. 

in  a  sort  of  shell  or  transparent  case,  much  arched  along 
the  back,  nearly  straight  along  the  belly,  and  hollowed 
out  at  each  extremity.  This  shell  is  a  very  beautiful 
object,  when  we  meet  with  it,  as  we  often  do,  completely 
cleaned  of  the  softer  parts,  the  animal  having  died.  It  is 
hard,  perfectly  transparent,  but  marked  all  over  with 
minute  pits.  It  is  closed  on  all  sides,  except  before  and 
behind,  where,  as  I  have  said,  it  is  cut  away,  as  it  were, 
for  the  egress  of  the  head,  and  the  forked  foot :  along  the 
back  it  rises  into  two  tall,  longitudinal,  sharp  ridges  wijii 
a  deep  furrow  between  them,  and  the  appearance  of  this 
double  ridge,  from  the  perfect  transparency  of  the  material, 
has  a  curious  effect  as  the  animal  moves  about.  Both 
before  and  behind,  the  ridges  run  out  into  projecting 
points,  those  of  the  front  arching  over  the  head  like  curv- 
ing horns.  These  little  animals  derive  their  nourishment 
likewise  from  the  soft  vegetable  tissues,  or  the  half-dis- 
solved matter  that  accumulates  on  the  stems  and  leaves 
of  the  aquatic  plants.  On  this  they  feed  greedily,  and 
nearly  the  whole  of  their  time  is  spent  in  munching  away 
this  with  the  mouth.  To  do  this  the  foot,  which  consists 
of  two  stiff  unjointed  styles,  is  brought  into  requisition. 
These  are  capable  of  being  opened  or  closed  like  the  feet 
of  a  pair  of  compasses,  and  of  being  brought  round  into 
any  position  through  the  flexibility  of  the  base,  which 
forms  false  or  telescopic  joints.  The  tips  of  these  foot- 
styles  are  used  as  a  pivot  on  which  the  animal  moves ; 
they  are  placed  perpendicularly  to  the  stem,  or  other  sub- 
stance, on  which  it  means  to  crawl  or  feed,  and  the  body 


THE  SALPINA.  167 

is  brought  down  horizontally,  so  that  the  head  can  touch 
the  same  plane.  Thus,  without  moving  its  points  of 
support,  the  animal  can  reach  a  considerable  extent  of 
surface  with  its  mouth,  either  stretching  forward  until 
the  feet  are  nearly  horizontal,  or  drawing  backward  until 
the  points  are  under  the  belly. 

When  I  used  the  term  "  greedily "  in  describing  its 
eating,  it  was  rather  with  reference  to  the  activity  and 
apparent  eagerness  with  which  the  little  creature  labours, 
than  to  the  quantity  actually  devoured.  This  indeed  is 
not  very  perceptible,  though  the  jaws  are  continually 
thrust  forward,  and  are  opened  and  closed  with  untiring 
perseverance  and  energy.  Probably  they  are  not  capable 
of  detaching  more  than  the  minutest  particles,  for  the 
effect  produced  is  not  the  visible  admission  of  atoms  into 
the  stomach,  as  in  the  former  example,  but  the  gradual 
discoloration  of  the  viscera,  which  become  stained  with 
a  yellowish  olive  hue,  that  grows  more  and  more  intense. 

The  large  oval  eggs  of  this  animalcule  may  also  be  seen 
adhering  to  the  leaves  here  and  there,  so  large  as  to  be 
nearly  half  as  long  as  the  whole  animal ;  they  are  beauti- 
fully symmetrical,  are  inclosed  in  a  brittle  transparent 
shell,  and  look  like  birds'  eggs.  If  we  watch  an  individual, 
we  may  easily  see  an  egg  laid ;  taking  care  to  select  one 
that  is  in  the  egg-producing  condition ;  a  selection  which 
the  perfect  transparency  of  the  tissues  enables  us  to  make 
readily.  The  ovary  occupies  the  ventral  region,  and  when 
an  egg  is  in  process  of  development,  its  mass  gradually 
becomes  more  and  more  opaque,  and  larger  and  larger, 


168  THE  MINUTE. 

until  nearly  half  of  the  bulk  of  the  body  is  filled  up  with  it. 
Then  suddenly  it  is  discharged,  a  soft  and  shell-less  mass, 
but  immediately  on  exclusion  it  takes  its  regular  oval 
figure,  and  the  integument  presently  hardens  into  a  shell. 
Patience,  moreover,  for  a  few  hours  will  be  rewarded 
by  a  sight  of  a  living  well-formed  animal  hatched  from 
this  new-laid  egg.  At  first  it  remains  so  turbid  as  to  be 
almost  opaque  ;  but  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  hours 
or  so,  it  is  perceptible  that  the  contents  are  becoming 
pellucid  flesh,  and  developing  into  organs  and  viscera,  thjg 
integuments  and  membranes  becoming  more  and  more 
manifest  in  their  overlying  infoldings.  Another  hour 
passes ;  and  now  the  action  of  the  frontal  cilia  is  discern- 
ible ;  at  first  as  faint  fitful  waves,  which,  however,  become 
momentarily  more  vigorous,  until  at  length  their  lashings 
are  distinct  and  incessant.  Meanwhile  the  eye  has  been 
coming  into  view,  visible  first  as  a  pale  red  tinge  in  a 
particular  spot  near  the  middle  of  the  egg,  and  gradually 
acquiring  a  definite  outline,  and  a  ruby-like  translucent 
brilliancy.  After  this  a  little  working  action  is  perceived 
behind  the  eye,  which  shews  that  there  the  jaws  are 
already  developed,  and  that  their  proper  muscles  are 
assuming  form  and  contractile  power.  About  four  hours 
have  now  elapsed  since  the  egg  was  laid  ;  the  movenents 
of  the  embryo  are  now  vigorous,  sudden,  and  spasmodic, 
the  folds  of  the  body-integument  change  their  places,  and 
the  cilia  work  more  rapidly.  Presently,  the  oval  form  of 
the  egg  undergoes  a  slight  alteration ;  it  becomes  more 
elliptical,  and  then  slightly  constricted  in  the  middle, 


SCULPTURED  SHELLS.  169 

apparently  by  the  pushing  outwards  and  inflating  of  the 
two  extremities  of  the  body.  At  this  moment  a  white 
line  flies  round  the  anterior  end  of  the  egg :  it  is  a  crack, 
and  the  next  instant  the  separated  portion  of  the  egg-shell 
is  pushed  off,  and  the  head  protrudes,  the  cilia  waving 
nimbly  in  the  water.  A  moment  the  new-born  young 
sits  in  the  shell  as  in  a  nest ;  but  now  it  glides  forth, 
and  we  see  that  in  every  point  of  form  and  structure  it 
is  the  very  counterpart  of  its  parent,  the  shell,  the  foot, 
all  the  internal  viscera,  being  perfect  and  comme  il  faut 

The  shells  in  which  these  little  creatures  are  enveloped 
are  models  of  symmetry  and  elegance,  and  display  great 
variety  of  form.  Some  of  them  are  sculptured  in  curious 
and  beautiful  patterns,  an  elaboration  which  is  truly  sur- 
prising when  we  think  of  the  invisible  minuteness  of  the 
entire  creature.  One  is  clothed*  with  a  shell  of  the 
usual  glassy  mail,  nearly  circular  in  outline,  very  flat, 
but  a  little  arched  on  the  back  aspect,  the  chin  hollowed 
out  in  a  semicircle,  and  the  brow  armed  with  two  horns 
curving  downward ;  the  posterior  extremity  square,  with 
two  lateral  spines.  The  entire  surface  of  this  shell  is 
covered  with  minute  elevated  points,  which  extend  even  to 
the  horns  and  spines;  and  besides  these,  the  dorsal  sur- 
face is  marked  with  elevated  ridges,  which  form  a  regular 
raised  pattern,  impossible  to  describe  by  words,  but  of 
curious  symmetry,  forming  three  perfect  pentagonal  areas, 
and  parts  of  eight  others  surrounding  them. 

This  kind  of  sculpturing  is  most  remarkable  in  a  little 

*  Noteus  quadricomis. 


170  THE  MINUTE. 

active  genus,*  which,  being  wholly  without  the  foot  com- 
mon to  this  class  of  animals,  is  always  found  swimming, 
being  apparently  incapable  of  resting,  or,  at  least,  of 
crawling.  The  group  contains  many  species,  and  most  of 
them  have  their  shells  ornamented  with  some  symmetrical 
variation  of  the  surface.  In  one,f  a  ridge  runs  down  the 
middle  of  the  back,  dividing  the  shell  into  two  equal 
lateral  portions,  each  of  which  is  subdivided  into  about 
ten  polyhedral  areas  by  intervening  ridges,  of  which  no 
two  are  alike  in  form,  though  each  corresponds  accurately 
with  its  fellow  on  the  opposite  side.  The  form  of  each 
area  is  constant  in  every  individual.  In  another,  {  the 
medial  line  is  occupied  by  five  areas,  of  which  the  first  is  an 
imperfect  hexagon,  the  second  is  square,  and  the  posterior 
three  are  hexagons ;  from  the  salient  angles,  other  ridges 
run  off  sidewise,  and  form  other  imperfect  polygons.  In 
others,  §  the  division  is  into  many  hexagonal  tesselations, 
varied  with  other  forms  in  the  outer  or  hinder  areas 
recording  to  the  species,  and  having  the  peculiarity  that 
the  dividing  ridges  are  well-defined  narrow  elevations 
armed  throughout  with  conical  points  in  single  row. 

I  may  be  accused  of  exaggeration  in  presuming  all  these 
creatures  to  be  seen  in  one  drop  of  water.  I  do  not  pre- 
tend to  be  depicting  them  from  one  single  actual  observa- 
tion ;  .at  the  same  time  I  may  say  that  I  have  described 
nothing  but  what  I  have  personally  observed ;  and  I 
have  known  many  small  pools  and  other  collections  of 

•*  Anuram.  f  A.  tecta.  J  A.  curvicornis. 

!§  A .  aculcata,  semulata,  &e. 


THE  WONDER  OF  SMALLNESS.  1?1 

water,  sufficiently  rich  in  organic  life  to  afford  examples  of 
quite  as  many  species  as  I  have  enumerated,  aye,  and 
many  more,  in  a  single  dip  taken  at  random,  though  all 
might  not  appear  in  the  live-box  at  one  time.  However, 
the  point  is,  these  and  hundreds  of  others  are  easily  ob- 
tainable, and  cannot  fail  to  delight  the  observer.  The 
variety  is  almost  endless. 

Scarcely  anything  more  strikes  the  mind  with  wonder 
than,  after  having  been  occupied  for  hours,  perhaps,  in 
watching  'the  movements  and  marking  the  forms  of  these 
and  similar  creatures,  till  one  has  become  quite  familiar 
with  them,  suddenly  to  remove  the  eye  from  the  instru- 
ment, and  taking  the  cell  from  the  stage,  look  at  it  with 
the  naked  eye.  Is  this  what  we  have  been  looking  at  ?  This 
quarter-inch  of  specks,  is  this  the  field  full  of  busy  life  ? 
are  here  the  scores  of  active  creatures  feeding,  watching, 
preying,  escaping,  swimming,  creeping,  dancing,  revolv- 
ing, breeding  ?  Are  they  here?  Where?  Here  is  nothing, 
absolutely  nothing,  but  two  or  three  minutest  dots  which 
the  straining  sight  but  just  catches  now  and  then  in  one 
particular  light. 

Truly,  the  world  which  we  are  holding  between  our 
finger  and  thumb — this  world  in  a  globule  of  water — this 
world  of  rollicking,  joyous,  boisterous  fellows,  that  a  pin's 
point  would  take  up,  is  even  more  wonderful  than  the 
shoals  of  whales  that  wallow  in  Baffin's  Bay,  or  the  herds 
of  elephants  that  shake  the  earth  in  the  forests  of  Ceylon. 
Truly,  the  great  God  who  made  them  is  maximus  in 
\nininus  ! 


VII. 
THE  MEMORABLE. 

EVERY  naturalist  can  recall  certain  incidents  in  his  com- 
munion with  nature,  which  have  impressed  themselves 
upon  his  imagination  with  a  vividness  that  the  lapse  of 
time  in  no  wise  effaces,  and  which  he  feels  never  will  be 
effaced.  They  came  upon  him  with  a  power  which  at  the 
moment  burnt-in  the  image  of  each  in  his  remembrance; 
and  there  they  remain,  and  must  remain  while  memory 
endures,  ever  and  anon  starting  up  with  a  palpable  clear- 
ness that  is  all  the  more  observable  from  the  ever  increas- 
ing dimness  and  vagueness  into  which  the  contemporary 
impressions  are  fading.  They  form  the  great  landmarks 
of  his  life :  they  stand  out  like  the  promontories  of  some 
long  line  of  coast,  bold  and  clear,  though  the  intervening 
shore  is  lost  to  view. 

Every  close  observer  of  natural  phenomena  is  familiar 
with  such  memorabilia,  and  those  know  them  best  whose 
minds  are  most  poetic  in  temperament,  most  disposed  to 
receive  pleasurable  emotions  from  that  which  is  new  or 
strange,  or  noble,  or  beautiful.  Each  has  his  own ;  he 
will  fail,  perhaps,  to  communicate  to  another  the  same 
impressions  when  he  communicates  the  facts,  because  the 
halo  with  which  the  particular  object  or  incident  is  in- 


THE  CHUCK- WILL'S  WIDOW.  173 

vested  in  his  remembrance,  depends  very  greatly  on  the 
idiosyncrasy  of  his  own  mind,  or  on  some  peculiar  condi- 
tions of  thought  or  feeling  with  which  that  particular 
object  was  associated.  That  which  sent  such  a  thrill  of 
delight  through  your  heart,  is  to  him  a  mere  fact,  and 
perhaps  a  fact  of  very  little  value.  For  the  thing  may  be 
a  very  little  matter  in  itself ;  it  is  the  time,  the  place,  the 
association,  the  anticipation  that  makes  it  what  it  is.  Let 
me  adduce  a  few  examples. 

Living  for  years  in  Newfoundland  and  Canada,  Wilson's 
American  Ornithology  had  become  almost  as  familiar  to 
me  as  my  alphabet,  and  when  at  length  I  travelled  into 
the  Southern  States,  many  of  the  birds  which  do  not  ex- 
tend their  visits  to  the  north  had  become  objects  of  eager 
interest  to  me.  Prominent  among  these  was  that  night- 
jar* whose  nocturnal  utterances  are  thought  to  repeat 
the  words,  "  chuck- will's  widow."  I  kno-  not  what  made 
this  particular  bird  so  interesting ;  perhaps  the  singularly 
true  resemblance  to  the  human  voice  of  its  cry ;  perhaps 
the  solemn  hour  of  its  occurrence,  for  night-sounds  have 
always  an  element  of  romance  about  them ;  perhaps  the 
rarity  of  a  sight  of  the  bird ;  perhaps  the  superstitions 
with  which  it  is  invested ;  perhaps  all  of  these  combined  ; 
or  perhaps  none  of  them  ; — I  cannot  tell ;  but  so  it  was : 
I  ardently  desired  to  hear  the  chuck-will's  widow. 

I  went  to  the  South,  and  arrived  in  the  hill-country  of 
Alabama  as  spring  was  merging  into  the  early  summer. 
I  had  not  been  domiciled  many  days,  when  one  night  I 

*  Caprimulgus  Carolinensis. 


174  THE  MI'MOilABLE. 

remained  sitting  at  the  open  window  of  my  bedroom,  long 
after  the  household  had  retired  to  bed.  It  was  a  lovely 
night ;  a  thunder-storm  had  just  passed,  which  had  cleared 
and  cooled  the  air ;  the  moon  was  in  the  west,  and  the 
stars  were  twinkling ;  the  rain-drops  still  hung  upon  the 
trees,  sparkling  as  the  beams  fell  on  them ;  the  large 
white  blossoms  of  a  catalpa  tree  were  conspicuous  just 
under  my  window,  and  gushes  of  rich  fragrance  came  up 
from  a  clematis  which  thickly  covered  the  trellis-work  of 
the  ladies'  arbour.  The  solemn  forest,  with  its  serried 
ranks  of  primeval  trees,  girdled-in  the  little  garden,  and 
lay  dark  and  vague  beyond.  It  was  too  early  for  the 
noisy  cicadse  that  in  the  later  summer  make  the  woods 
ring  with  their  pertinacious  crinking,  and  not  a  sound 
broke  the  profound  silence.  Every  element  was  poetry, 
and  my  mind  was  in  a  state  of  quiet  but  high  enjoyment. 
It  wanted  but  a  few  minutes  of  midnight,  when  suddenly 
the  clear  and  distinct  voice  of  the  chuck- will's  widow  rose 
up  from  a  pomegranate  tree  in  the  garden  below  the  win- 
dow where  I  was  sitting,  and  only  a  few  yards  from  me. 
It  was  exactly  as  if  a  human  being  had  spoken  the  words, 
<£  chuck — widowwidow."  I  had  not  been  thinking  of  this 
bird,  but  of  course  I  recognised  it  in  a  moment,  and  a 
gush  of  delight  and  surprise  went  through  me.  I  scarcely 
dared  to  breathe,  lest  any  sound  should  alarm  and  drive  it 
away,  and  my  ears  were  strained  to  catch  every  intonation 
uttered.  It  continued  to  repeat  its  singular  call  at  inter- 
vals of  a  few  seconds  for  about  half  an  hour,  when  another 
from,  a  little  distance  answered,  and  the  two  pursued  their 


A  JAMAICA  BUTTERFLY.  175 

occupation  together,  sometimes  calling  alternately,  some- 
times both  at  the  same  instant.  By  and  by,  a  third  further 
off  in  the  forest  joined  them,  and  the  first  flew  away.  The 
spell  was  broken,  and  I  went  to  bed ;  but  even  in  sleep 
the  magic  sounds  seemed  to  be  ringing  in  my  ears. 

A  very  vivid  emotion  of  delight,  was  produced  in  my 
mind  on  my  visit  to  Jamaica,  by  the  sight  of  Heliconia 
Charitonia.  The  appearance  of  this  fine  butterfly  is  so 
totally  different  from  that  of  any  of  the  species  with  which 
I  had  been  familiar, — the  form  is  so  peculiarly  intertropical, 
so  associated  with  the  gorgeous  glooms  of  South  American 
scenery, — that  nothing  like  it  had  occurred  to  me  either  in 
Europe,  or  in  any  part  of  the  northern  continent.  I  first 
saw  it  fluttering,  slowly  and  fearlessly,  over  a  great  thicket 
of  Opuntia  in  full  flower,  itself  a  memorable  object  to  be- 
hold. The  beauty  and  singularity  of  the  form,  the  very 
remarkable  shape  of  the  wings,  so  long  and  so  narrow, 
the  brilliant  contrasts  of  colour  with  which  they  are 
adorned,  lemon-yellow  and  velvety  black  in  bands,  and 
the  very  peculiar  flapping  of  these  organs  in  flight,  as  if 
their  length  rendered  them  somewhat  unwieldy,  altogether 
took  a  strong  hold  on  my  imagination.  I  subsequently 
saw  it  under  circumstances  which  greatly  heightened  the 
interest  with  which  I  had  first  beheld  it. 

Passing  along  a  rocky  footpath  on  a  steep,  wooded 
mountain-side,  my  attention  was  attracted,  just  before 
sunset,  by  a  swarm  of  these  butterflies  in  a  sort  of  rocky 
recess,  overhung  by  trees  and  creepers.  They  were  about 
twenty  in  number,  and  were  dancing  to  and  fro  exactly 


1 76  THE  MEMORABLE. 

in  the  manner  of  gnats,  or  as  the  ghost-moth  in  England 
plays  at  the  side  of  a  wood.  After  watching  them  awhile, 
I  noticed  that  some  of  them  were  resting  with  closed 
wings  at  the  extremities  of  one  or  two  depending  vines. 
One  after  another  fluttered  from  the  group  of  dancers  to 
the  reposing  squadron,  and  alighted  close  to  the  others,  so 
that,  at  length,  when  only  about  two  or  three  of  the  fliers 
were  left,  the  rest  were  collected  in  groups  of  half  a  dozen 
each,  so  close  together  that  each  group  might  have  been 
grasped  by  the  hand.  When  once  one  had  alighted  it 
did  not  in  general  fly  again,  but  a  new-comer,  fluttering 
at  the  group,  seeking  to  find  a  place,  sometimes  disturbed 
one  recently  settled,  when  the  wings  were  thrown  open, 
and  one  or  two  flew  up  again.  As  there  were  no  leaves 
on  the  hanging  stalks,  the  appearance  presented  by  these 
butterflies,  so  crowded  together,  their  long  erect  wings 
pointing  in  different  directions,  was  not  a  little  curious. 
I  was  told  by  persons  residing  near,  that  every  evening 
they  thus  assembled,  and  that  I  had  not  seen  a  third  part 
of  the  numbers  often  collected  in  that  spot. 

Another  sight  which  I  can  never  forget  is  the  swarming 
of  Urania  Sloanus  around  a  blossoming  tree  at  sunrise. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  gorgeously  beautiful  of  butterflies, 
its  broad  wings  and  body  being  arrayed  in  a  dress  of 
rich  velvet  black  and  emerald  green,  arranged  in  transverse 
bands,  with  a  broad  disk  of  ruddy  gold,  the  whole  spark- 
ling with  a  peculiar  radiance,  like  powdered  gems.  It  is, 
besides,  an  insect  of  unusual  interest  to  the  philosophic 
entomologist,  because  it  is  one  of  those  transitional  forms 


A  JAMAICAN  FOREST.  177 

by  which  great  groups  are  linked  together.  Every  one 
would  say,  on  looking  at  it,  that  it  is  a  butterfly,  and  yet 
it  possesses  the  technical  characters  of  a  moth. 

At  a  certain  season,  in  Jamaica,  viz.,  in  the  first  week 
of  April,  with  very  accurate  regularity,  this  magnificent 
insect  suddenly  appears  in  great  numbers.  The  avo9ada 
pear,  a  kind  of  Laurus,  whose  fruit  is  much  esteemed,  is 
then  in  blossom,  and  is  the  centre  of  attraction  to  these 
butterflies.  As  the  approaching  sun  is  casting  a  glow  of 
gold  over  the  eastern  sky,  one  after  another  begins  to 
come,  and  by  the  time  the  glorious  orb  emerges  from  the 
horizon,  the  lovely  living  gems  are  fluttering  by  scores,  or 
even  by  hundreds,  around  some  selected  tree.  The  level 
sunbeams,  glancing  on  their  sparkling  wings,  give  them  a 
lustre  which  the  eye  can  scarcely  look  upon ;  and,  as  they 
dance  in  their  joyousness  over  the  fragrant  bloom,  engage 
in  the  evolutions  of  playful  combats,  or  mount  up  on  the 
wing  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet  above  the  tree, 
they  constitute,  in  that  brief  hour  of  morning,  a  spectacle 
which  has  seemed  to  me  worth  years  of  toil  to  see. 

If  I  may  allude  to  one  more  memorable  incident  in  my 
own  natural-history  experience,  it  shall  be  the  interior  of 
a  forest  in  the  mountains  of  Jamaica.  From  the  almost 
insufferable  glare  of  the  vertical  sunshine,  a  few  steps 
took  me  into  a  scene  where  the  gloom  was  so  sombre, — 
heightened  doubtless  by  the  sudden  contrast, — as  to  cast 
a  kind  of  awe  over  the  spirit.  Yet  it  was  a  beauteous 
gloom, — rather  a  subdued  and  softened  light,  like  that 
which  prevails  in  some  old  pillared  cathedral  when  the 


178  THE  MEMOEABLE. 

sun's  rays  struggle  through  the  many-stained  glass  of  a 
painted  window.  Choice  plants  that  I  had  been  used  to 
see  fostered  and  tended  in  pots  in  our  stove-houses  at  home, 
were  there  in  wild  and  riant  luxuriance.  The  very  carpet 
was  a  dense  L.ycopodium,  of  most  delicate  tracery,  cast 
thick  over  the  prostrate  tree-trunks,  and  the  rugged 
masses  of  rock ;  and  elegant  ferns  were  arching  out  of 
the  crevices.  Enormous  towering  figs  and  Santa- Marias 
were  seen  here  and  there,  venerable  giants  of  a  thousand 
years  at  least,  whose  vast  trunks  pierced  through  the 
general  roof  of  quivering  foliage,  and  expanded  far  above, 
while  from  the  crevices  of  their  rough  bark,  and  from  the 
forks  of  the  lesser  trees  curious  and  elegant  parasites, 
— wild  pines,  ferns,  orchids,  cactuses,  pothoses, — were 
clustering  in  noble  profusion  of  vegetable  life.  These 
trees,  too,  were  connected  and  laced  together  by  long 
leaves,  just  as  the  masts  of  a  ship  are  laced  with  the 
various  stays,  braces,  and  halyards ;  some  of  them  stout 
and  cable-like,  others  mere  slender  cords,  passing  to  and 
fro,  hanging  in  loops,  or  loosely  waving  in  the  air. 

Yet  amidst  all  this  magnificence  of  vegetation,  there 
was  nothing  that  took  so  strong  a  hold  on  my  imagina- 
tion as  the  arborescent  ferns.  To  see  these  plants,  whose 
elegant  grace  I  had  so  often  admired  in  our  English 
lanes,  so  magnified  that  the  crown  of  out-curving  fronds 
shaded  an  area  of  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  yet  pre- 
serving all  the  voluptuous  lightness  and  minute  sub- 
division which  are  so  characteristic  of  these  plants,  and 
this  feathery  diadem  of  leaves  reared  on  the  summit  of  a 


A  BBAZILIAN  FOKEST. 


179 


stem  as  high  as  its  own  width ; — to  stand  under  the 
beautiful  arch  and  gaze  upwards  on  the  filigree-fretted 
fronds  that  formed  a  great  umbrella  of  verdure, — this 
was  most  charming,  and  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  eloquent  pen  of  Charles  Darwin  has  revivified  for 
us,  with  a  peculiar  charm,  the  impressions  made  on  his 
refined  and  poetic  mind  by  the  strange  scenes  of  other 
lands.  His  first  experiences  of  the  forests  of  South 
America  he  has  thus  recorded : — "  The  day  has  passed 
delightfully.  Delight  itself,  however,  is  a  weak  term  to 
express  the  feelings  of  a  naturalist,  who,  for  the  first  time, 
has  wandered  by  himself  in  a  Brazilian  forest.  The 
elegance  of  the  grasses,  the  novelty  of  the  parasitical 
plants,  the  beauty  of  the  flowers,  the  glossy  green  of  the 
foliage,  but,  above  all,  the  general  luxuriance  of  the 
vegetation,  filled  me  with  admiration.  A  most  paradoxi- 
cal mixture  of  sound  and  silence  pervades  the  shady  parts 
of  the  wood.  The  noise  from  the  insects  is  so  loud,  that 
it  may  be  heard  even  in  a  vessel  anchored  several  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore ;  yet  within  the  recesses  of  the 
forest  a  universal  silence  appears  to  reign.  To  a  person 
fond  of  natural  history,  such  a  day  as  this  brings  with  it 
a  deeper  pleasure  than  he  can  hope  to  experience  again."  * 

Again,  at  the  close  of  his  eventful  voyage,  he  thus 
reverts  to  the  same  scenes: — "Such  are  the  elements  of 
the  scenery,  but  it  is  a  hopeless  attempt  to  paint  the 
general  effects.  Learned  naturalists  describe  these  scenes 
of  the  tropics  by  naming  a  multitude  of  objects,  and  inen- 

*  Naturalist's  Voyage,  ch.  i. 


THE  MEMORABLE. 

tioning  some  characteristic  feature  of  each.  To  a  learned 
traveller  this,  possibly,  may  communicate  some  definite 
idea ;  but  who  else,  from  seeing  a  plant  in  a  herbarium, 
can  imagine  its  appearance  when  growing  in  its  native 
soil  ?  Who,  from  seeing  choice  plants  in  a  hothouse,  can 
magnify  some  into  the  dimensions  of  forest-trees,  and 
crowd  others  into  an  entangled  jungle?  Who,  when 
examining,  in  the  cabinet  of  the  entomologist,  the  gay, 
exotic  butterflies,  and  singular  cicadas,  will  associate  with 
these  lifeless  objects,  the  ceaseless  harsh  music  of  the 
latter,  and  the  lazy  flight  of  the  former, — the  sure  accom- 
paniments of  the  still,  glowing  noonday  of  the  tropics? 
It  is  when  the  sun  has  attained  its  greatest  height,  that 
such  scenes  should  be  viewed :  then  the  dense,  splendid 
foliage  of  the  mango  hides  the  ground  with  its  darkest 
shade,  whilst  the  upper  branches  are  rendered,  from  the 
profusion  of  light,  of  the  most  brilliaut  green.  In  the 
temperate  zones  the  case  is  different :  the  vegetation  there 
is  not  so  dark  or  so  rich ;  and  hence  the  rays  of  the 
declining  sun,  tinged  of  a  red,  purple,  or  bright  yellow 
colour,  add  most  to  the  beauties  of  those  climes. 

"  When  quietly  walking  along  the  shady  pathways,  and 
admiring  each  successive  view,  I  wished  to  find  language 
to  express  my  ideas.  Epithet  after  epithet  was  found  too 
weak  to  convey  to  those  who  have  not  visited  the  inter- 
tropical  regions  the  sensations  of  delight  which  the  mind 
experiences.  I  have  said  that  the  plants  in  a  hothouse 
fail  to  communicate  a  just  idea  of  the  vegetation,  yet  I 
must  recur  to  it.  The  land  is  a  great,  wild,  untidy, 


STORKS  IN  A  CHUKCH YARD.  181 

luxuriant  hothouse,  made  by  Nature  for  herself,  but  taken 
possession  of  by  man,  who  has  studded  it  with  gay  houses 
and  formal  gardens.  How  great  would  be  the  desire  of 
every  admirer  of  nature  to  behold,  if  such  were  possible, 
the  scenery  of  another  planet !  yet  to  every  person  in 
Europe  it  may  be  truly  said  that,  at  the  distance  of  only 
a  few  degrees  from  his  native  soil,  the  glories  of  another 
world  are  opened  to  him.  In  my  last  walk,  I  stopped 
again  and  again  to  gaze  at  these  beauties,  and  endeavoured 
to  fix  in  my  mind  for  ever,  an  impression  which  at  the 
time  I  knew  sooner  or  later  must  fail.  The  form  of  the 
orange-tree,  the  cocoa-nut,  the  palm,  the  mango,  the  tree- 
fern,  the  banana,  will  remain  clear  and  separate  ;  but  the 
thousand  beauties  which  unite  these  into  one  perfect  scene 
must  fade  away ;  yet  they  will  leave,  like  a  tale  heard  in 
childhood,  a  picture  full  of  indistinct,  but  most  beautiful 
figures/'  * 

The  late  James  Wilson  made  his  first  acquaintance 
with  the  storks  of  Holland  under  very  impressive  circum- 
stances. One  summer  evening,  of  a  beautifully  calm  and 
serene  character,  he  had  sauntered  into  a  churchyard,  and 
found  himself,  when  the  sun  had  set,  and  the  dim  twilight 
was  fading  into  darkness,  alone.  All  was  solemnly  still, 
as  became  the  scene ;  not  a  sound  being  audible  to  dis- 
turb the  perfect  solitude  and  silence  with  which  he  was 
surrounded.  Suddenly,  a  soft  and  winnowing  sound  in 
the  air  attracted  his  attention,  and,  looking  up,  with  invo- 
luntary thoughts  of  angels  and  spiritual  visitants,  he  saw 

*  Rtkl..  eh.  xxL 


182  THE  MEMOKABLK 

two  white-winged  beings  hovering  in  the  air,  who  presently 
descended  and  alighted  close  to  his  feet.  They  were 
storks  I  attracted,  doubtless,  to  the  moist  and  rank  herb- 
age by  the  expectation  of  a  plentiful  repast  on  insects  and 
slugs  which  the  dews  had  drawn  abroad.  To  .have  found 
a  living  man,  where  they  had  been  accustomed  to  find 
only  the  dead,  seemed  to  disturb  them,  however;  for  they 
presently  spread  their  ample  wings,  and  mounted  to  the 
spire,  where,  perched,  they  gave  utterance  to  their  wild 
and  singularly  plaintive  cries,  which  added  greatly  to  those 
impressions  of  loneliness  and  seclusion  that  the  incident 
had  already  inspired.  No  wonder  that  the  naturalist 
could  never  afterwards  behold  a  stork  without  having 
presented  to  his  imagination,  in  vivid  force,  that  startling 
rencontre  in  the  graveyard  of  Delft.  * 

Very  few  persons  capable  of  appreciating  the  interest 
of  the  spectacle  have  ever  beheld  the  gorgeous  bird  of 
paradise  in  his  remote  equatorial  forests.  The  land  in 
which  it  dwells  is  still  a  terra  incognita  to  science. 
Nearly  all  the  world  has  been  laid  open  to  the  perseve- 
rance of  modern  explorers ;  but  the  sullen  ferocity  o£  the 
savages  of  New  Guinea,  and  their  hostility  to  strangers, 
keep  us  to  this  day  in  ignorance  of  the  largest  island  of 
the  world.  A  few  glances  at  the  coast,  obtained  by  ad- 
venturous travellers,  who,  well  armed,  have  penetrated  a 
mile  or  two  from  the  sea,  have  only  served  to  whet  curio- 
sity, and  to  stimulate  desire  for  an  acquaintance  with  the 
productions  in  which  it  appears  so  rich. 

*  Hamilton's  Memoirs  of  Wilson,  p.  33. 


THE  BIED  OF  PARADISE.  ]  83 

Specimens  of  the  birds  of  paradise  had  found  their 
way  to  Europe,  through  the  native  traders  of  the  Oriental 
Archipelago,  and  their  surpassing  gorgeousness  of  plumage 
had  disposed  the  credulous  to  receive  the  fabulous  narra- 
tions with  which  their  history  was  invested.  Gradually 
these  absurdities  were  exploded ;  but  still  no  naturalist 
had  ever  beheld  the  birds  in  native  freedom,  till  M.  Lesson, 
the  zoologist  attached  to  one  of  the  French  exploring  ex- 
peditions, touched  at  the  island.  He  diligently  used  the 
few  days'  stay  he  made  on  the  coast,  and  obtained  a  score 
of  the  birds.  Thus  he  narrates  his  first  observation  of 
the  living  gem  : — 

"  Soon  after  my  arrival  in  this  land  of  promise  for  the 
naturalist,  I  was  on  a  shooting  excursion.  Scarcely  had 
I  walked  some  hundred  paces  in  those  ancient  forests,  the 
daughters  of  time,  whose  sombre  depth  was  perhaps  the 
most  magnificent  and  stately  that  I  had  ever  seen,  when 
a  bird  of  paradise  struck  my  view  ;  it  flew  gracefully,  and 
in  undulations ;  the  feathers  of  its  sides  formed  an  ele- 
gant and  aerial  plume,  which,  without  exaggeration,  bore 
no  remote  resemblance  to  a  brilliant  meteor.  Surprised, 
astounded,  enjoying  an  inexpressible  gratification,  I  de- 
voured this  splendid  bird  with  my  eyes ;  but  my  emotion 
was  so  great  that  I  forgot  to  shoot  at  it,  and  did  not 
recollect  that  I  had  a  gun  in  my  hand  till  it  was  far 
away."  * 

The  bright  spot  in  the  memory  of  Audubon,  the  enthu- 
siastic biographer  of  the  birds  of  America,  was  the  dis- 

*  Voy.  de  la  Coquille. 


184  THE  MEMORABLE, 

covery  of  the  fine  eagle  which  he  has  named  "  the  Bird  of 
Washington/'  "It  was  on  a  winter's  evening/'  he  ob- 
serves, "in  the  month  of  February  1841,  that,  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  this 
rare  and  noble  bird,  and  never  shall  I  forget  the  delight  it 
gave  me.  Not  even  Herschel,  when  he '  discovered  the 
famous  planet  which  bears  his  name,  could  have  expe- 
rienced more  happy  feelings ;  for  to  have  something  new 
to  relate,  to  become  yourself  a  contributor  to  science, 
must  excite  the  proudest  emotion  of  the  human  heart. 
We  were  on  a  trading  voyage,  ascending  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi ;  the  keen  winter  blasts  whistled  over  our  heads, 
and  the  cold  from  which  I  suffered  had,  in  a  great  degree, 
extinguished  the  deep  interest  which,  at  other  seasons, 
this  river  has  been  wont  to  awake  in  me.  I  lay  stretched 
beside  our  patroon ;  the  safety  of  the  cargo  was  forgotten ; 
and  the  only  thing  that  called  forth  my  attention  was  the 
multitude  of  ducks,  of  different  species,  accompanied  by 
vast  flocks  of  swans,  which  from  time  to  time  would  pass 
us.  My  patroon,  a  Canadian,  had  been  engaged  many 
years  in  the  fur-trade:  he  was  a  man  of  much  intelli- 
gence, who,  perceiving  that  these  birds  had  engaged  my 
curiosity,  seemed  only  anxious  to  find  some  new  object 
to  divert  me.  The  eagle  flew  over  us.  '  How  fortunate  ! ' 
he  exclaimed  ;  '  this  is  what  I  could  have  wished.  Look, 
sir  !  the  great  eagle ;  and  the  only  one  I  have  seen  since 
I  left  the  lakes/  I  was  instantly  on  my  feet ;  and  having 
observed  it  attentively,  concluded,  as  I  lost  it  in  the  dis- 
tance, that  it  was  a  species  quite  new  to  me." 


THE  WASHINGTON  EAGLE.  185 

ft  was  not  till  some  years  afterwards  that  he  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  this  noble  bird  again.  On  the  face 
of  a  precipice  was  the  nest  of  what  the  country-people 
called  the  "  brown  eagle,"  and  some  peculiarities  in  the 
situation  induced  the  ornithologist  to  hope  that  it  might 
be  the  species  of  which  he  was  in  quest.  He  determined 
to  see  for  himself.  "  In  high  expectation/'  he  continues, 
"  I  seated  myself  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  foot  of 
the  rock.  Never  did  time  pass  more  slowly.  I  could  not 
help  betraying  the  most  impatient  curiosity,  for  my  hopes 
whispered  it  was  the  great  eagle's  nest.  Two  long  hours 
had  elapsed  before  the  old  bird  made  his  appearance, 
which  was  announced  to  us  by  the  loud  hissings  of  the 
two  young  ones,  who  crawled  to  the  extremity  of  the  hole 
to  receive  a  fine  fish.  I  had  a  perfect  view  of  this  noble 
bird,  as  he  held  himself  to  the  edging  rock ;  his  tail 
spread,  and  his  wings  partly  so,  and  hanging  something 
like  a  bank  swallow.  I  trembled  lest  a  word  should 
escape  from  my  companions — the  slightest  murmur  had 
been  treason  from  them  ;  they  entered  into  my  feelings, 
and,  although  little  interested,  gazed  with  me.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  other  parent  joined  her  mate,  which,  from  the 
difference  in  size,  (the  female  being  much  larger,)  we 
knew  to  be  the  mother-bird.  She  also  had  brought  a 
fish ;  but,  more  cautious  than  her  mate,  ere  she  alighted, 
she  glanced  her  quick  and  piercing  eye  around,  and  in- 
stantly perceiving  her  procreant  bed  had  been  discovered, 
she  dropped  her  prey,  with  a  loud  shriek  communicated 
the  alarm  to  the  male,  and,  hovering  with  him  over  our 


J  86  THE  MEMOKABLE. 

heads,  kept  up  a  growling,  threatening  cry,  to  intimidate 
us  from  our  suspected  design." 

Tempestuous  weather  prevented  access  to  the  nest  for 
several  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  was  found  that 
the  young  had  been  removed  by  the  parents.  "  I  come 
at  last  to  the  day  I  had  so  often  and  so  ardently  desired. 
Two  years  had  gone  by  since  the  discovery  of  the  nest, 
but  my  wishes  were  no  longer  to  remain  ungratified.  I 
saw  one  day  one  of  these  birds  rise  from  a  small  inclosure, 
where  some  hogs  had  been  slaughtered,  and  alight  upon 
a  low  tree  branching  over  the  road.  I  prepared  my 
double-barrelled  piece,  which  I  constantly  carry,  and  went 
slowly  and  cautiously  towards  him ;  quite  fearless,  he 
awaited  my  approach,  looking  upon  me  with  an  undaunted 
eye.  I  fired,  and  he  fell ;  before  I  reached  him  he  was 
dead.  With  what  delight  I  surveyed  this  magnificent 
bird !  I  ran  and  presented  him  to  my  friend,  with  a 
pride  which  those  can  only  feel,  who,  like  me,  have 
devoted  their  earliest  childhood  to  such  pursuits,  and 
have  derived  from  them  their  first  pleasures ;  to  others, 
I  must  seem  '  to  prattle  out  of  fashion/  "  * 

I  have  already  mentioned  my  own  first  acquaintance 
with  one  of  the  nightjars ;  the  reader  may  be  pleased  to 
have  the  particulars  of  a  nocturnal  Interview  with  our 
native  species,  as  sketched  by  a  plain  but  trustworthy 
observer,  a  thorough  out-of-door  naturalist.-f-  It  occurred 
under  somewhat  romantic  circumstances.  The  worthy 

*  London's  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  i.,  p.  118. 

t  Mr  Thomas,  the  Bird-keeper  at  the  Surrey  Zoological  Gardens. 


A  NIGHT  WITH  THE  FEKN-OWL.  187 

man  had  taken  a  holiday  from  his  metropolitan  occupa- 
tions, and,  to  make  the  most  of  it,  had  determined  to 
spend  a  summer  night  sub  dio.  By  sunset  he  found  him- 
self many  miles  from  London,  in  a  field  in  which  the  new- 
made  hay  was  ready  for  carrying.  No  human  being  was 
near,  and  so  he  threw  two  of  the  haycocks  into  one,  at 
the  edge  of  a  wood,  and  "  mole-like,  burrowed  into  the 
middle  of  the  hay/'  just  leaving  his  head  exposed  for  a 
little  fresh  air,  and  free  for  any  observations  he  might 
make  under  the  light  of  the  unclouded  moon.  In  such  a 
soft,  warm,  and  fragrant  bed,  sleep  soon  overcame  him, 
till  he  awoke  with  a  confused  idea  of  elves,  sprites,  fairies 
and  pixies,  holding  their  midnight  dances  around  him. 

"  I  had  not  been  long  again  settled,"  he  says,  "  on  my 
grassy  couch,  reflecting  upon  my  wild,  fantastic  dream,  with 
all  its  attendant  revelry,  when  my  attention  was  drawn  to 
the  singular,  wild,  ringing  strain  of  the  fern-owl.  It  re- 
sembled, at  times,  the  whirring,  rapid  rotation  of  a  wheel, 
now  swelling,  now  diminishing,  the  sounds  intermixed  with 
curring  and  croaking  notes,  some  of  the  sounds  having  a 
ventriloquial  effect;  there  was  now  and  then  a  sharp, 
unearthly  kind  of  shriek ;  presently  there  were  the  same 
sounds  issuing  from  other  quarters  of  the  wood,  until  the 
whole  place  was  ringing  with  the  wild  nocturnal  notes. 
As  daybreak  advanced,  I  could  see  the  fern-owls  (there 
were  at  least  from  four  to  six  birds,)  hawking  for  moths, 
chasing  and  pursuing  each  other,  and  sweeping  along  with 
surprisingly  sudden  turns  and  tumblings.  As  I  sat  motion- 
less, with  my  head  just  above  the  surface  of  the  haycock, 


]  88  THE  MEMOKABLE. 

I  had  a  good  view  of  their  proceedings ;  the  birds  were 
continually  snapping  at  the  numerous  small  moths  which 
were  hovering  over  the  heaps  of  hay.  The  birds  are  not 
very  shy  when  pursuing  their  prey,  for  they  would  glide 
along  close  by  me ;  amidst  the  gloom  one  could  see  them 
looming  in  certain  positions,  as  a  ship  at  sea  is  sometimes 
to  be  seen  in  the  night-time.  At  times  the  fern-owls 
would  suddenly  appear  close  to  me,  as  if  by  magic,  and 
then  shoot  off',  like  meteors  passing  through  the  air. 

"The  spectral  and  owl-like  appearance,  the  noiseless, 
wheeling  flight  of  the  birds  as  they  darted  by,  would 
almost  persuade  one  that  he  was  on  enchanted  ground. 
Spell-bound,  whilst  witnessing  the  grotesque  gambols  of 
this  singular  bird,  there  only  wanted  Puck,  with  his  elfin 
crew,  attendant  fairies,  &c.,  in  connexion  with  the  aerial 
flights  of  the  fern-owl,  to  have  made  it,  as  it  was  to  me,  a 
tolerably  complete  '  Midsummer  Night's  Dream/  especially 
as  the  fever  of  my  night-haunted  imagination  had  not 
as  yet  vanished.  As  it  was,  I  was  delighted  with  this 
nocturnal  and  beautiful  scene  from  nature,  and  I  wished 
at  the  time  that  some  of  our  museum  naturalists  had  been 
with  me,  to  have  shared  the  pleasure  that  I  felt."  * 

The  entomological  cabinets  of  Europe  have  long  counted 
as  one  of  their  most  prized  treasures,  a  gorgeous  butterfly 
named  Ornithoptera  Priamus.  Linnaeus  named  those 
butterflies  which  are  included  by  modern  naturalists  under 
the  family  Papilionidce,  Equites ;  and  he  divided  them 
into  Greeks  and  Trojans,  naming  each  individual  species 

*  Zoologist,  p.  3650. 


THE  KING  OF  THE  BUTTERFLIES.  1 89 

after  some  one  of  the  Homeric  heroes,  choosing  a  name 
from  the  Trojan  list,  if  black  was  a  prominent  colour,  as  if 
mourning  for  a  defeat,  and  from  the  Greeks  if  the  prevail- 
ing hues  were  gay.  The  one  I  speak  of  was  called  after  the 
king  of  Ilium,  because  it  was  the  finest  species  of  the  butter- 
fly then  known.  It  is  found  only  in  Amboyna ;  its  elegant 
wings  expand  fully  eight  inches,  and  they  are  splendidly 
coloured  with  the  richest  emerald  green  and  velvety  black. 

Other  species  of  the  same  noble  genus  have  recently 
been  discovered  in  the  same  Archipelago ;  but  the  Trojan 
monarch  remained  without  a  rival.  About  a  year  ago, 
however,  Mr  A.  R  Wallace,  an  accomplished  entomologist, 
and  one  who  has  had  a  greater  personal  acquaintance 
than  any  other  man  of  science,  with  the  Lepidoptera  of 
the  very  richest  regions  of  the  globe — Brazil,  and  the 
Indian  Isles, — announced  by  letter  the  discovery  and 
capture  of  a  still  more  magnificent  species.  Having 
arrived  at  Batchian,  one  of  the  isles  of  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Archipelago,  on  an  entomological  exploration,  he  pre- 
sently caught  sight  of  a  grand  new  Ornithoptera,  which, 
though  the  specimen  was  a  female,  and  escaped  capture, 
gave  promise  for  the  future.  At  last  the  expected  capture 
was  made,  and  Mr  Wallace  thus  records  his  emotions  on 
the  occasion ; — emotions,  it  must  be  remembered,  of  no 
tyro,  but  of  a  veteran  insect-hunter. 

"  I  had  determined  to  leave  here  about  this  time,  but 
two  circumstances  decided  me  to  prolong  my  stay :  first, 
I  succeeded  at  last  in  taking  the  magnificent  new  Orni- 
thoptera, and,  secondly,  I  obtained  positive  imforniation 


190  THE  MEMORABLE. 

of  the  existence  here  of  a  second  species  of  Paradisea, 
apparently  more  beautiful  and  curious  than  the  one  I 
have  obtained.  You  may,  perhaps,  imagine  my  excite- 
ment when,  after  seeing  only  two  or  three  times  in  three 
months,  I  at  length  took  a  male  Ornithoptera.  When  I 
took  it  out  of  my  net,  and  opened  its  gorgeous  wings,  I 
was  nearer  fainting  with  delight  and  excitement  than  I 
have  ever  been  in  my  life ;  my  breast  beat  violently,  and 
the  blood  rushed  to  my  head,  leaving  a  headache  for  the 
rest  of  the  day.  The  insect  surpassed  my  expectations, 
being,  though  allied  to  Priamus,  perfectly  new,  distinct, 
and  of  a  most  gorgeous  and  unique  colour ;  it  is  a  fiery, 
golden  orange,  changing,  when  viewed  obliquely,  to 
opaline-yellow  and  green.  It  is,  I  think,  the  finest  of 
the  Ornithopterce,  and,  consequently,  the  finest  butterfly  in 
the  world  !  Besides  the  colour,  it  differs  much  in  mark- 
ings from  all  the  Priamus  group.  Soon  after  I  first 
took  it,  I  set  one  of  my  men  to  search  for  it  daily,  giving 
him  a  premium  on  every  specimen,  good  or  bad,  he  takes  ; 
he  consequently  works  hard  from  early  morn  to  dewy  eve, 
and  occasionally  brings  home  one  ;  unfortunately,  several 
of  them  are  in  bad  condition.  I  also  occasionally  take 
the  lovely  Papilio  Telemachus"  * 

The  sight  of  so  noble  an  aquatic  plant  as  the  gigan- 
tic Victoria  regia,  the  rosy-white  water-lily  of  South 
America,  reposing  on  one  of  the  glassy  igaripes  of  the 
mightiest  river  in  the  world,  must  be  an  incident  cal- 
culated to  excite  enthusiasm  in  any  lover  of  the  grand  or 

*  Zoologist,  p.  6621. 


THE  ROYAL  WATEK-LILY.  1  91 

the  beautiful  in  nature.  Thus  speaks  Schomburgk,  to 
whom  we  owe  our  knowledge  of  this  magnificent  plant, 
and  its  introduction  to  the  aquaria  of  Europe.  "  It  was 
on  the  1st  of  January  1837,  while  contending  with  the 
difficulties  which,  in  various  forms,  nature  interposed  to 
bar  our  progress  up  the  Berbice  River,  that  we  reached  a 
spot  where  the  river  expanded,  and  formed  a  currentless 
basin.  Something  on  the  other  side  of  this  basin 
attracted  my  attention ;  I  could  not  form  an  idea  what 
it  might  be ;  but,  urging  the  crew  to  increase  the  speed 
of  their  paddling,  we  presently  neared  the  object  which 
had  roused  my  curiosity,  and  lo  !  a  vegetable  wonder ! 
All  disasters  were  forgotten ;  I  was  a  botanist,  and  I  felt 
myself  rewarded/'  * 

Mr  Bridges,  too,  in  the  course  of  a  botanical  expedi- 
tion in  Bolivia,  speaks  of  the  delighted  surprise  with 
which  he  first  gazed  on  the  lovely  queen  of  water-lilies. 
"  During  my  stay  in  the  Indian  town  of  Santa  Anna," 
observes  this  traveller,  "in  June  and  July  1845,  I  made 
daily  shooting  excursions  in  the  vicinity,  and  on  one 
occasion  I  had  the  good  fortune,  while  riding  along  the 
wooded  banks  of  the  Yacuma,  a  tributary  of  the  Mamore', 
to  arrive  suddenly  at  a  beautiful  pond,  or  rather  small  lake, 
embosomed  in  the  forest,  where,  to  my  delight  and  sur- 
prise, I  descried  for  the  first  time  the  queen  of  aquatics, 
Victoria  regia  !  There  were  at  least  fifty  flowers  in 
view ;  and  Belzoni  could  not  have  been  more  enraptured 
with  his  Egyptian  discoveries,  than  was  I,  on  beholding 

*  Bot.  Mag.,  1847. 


192  THE  MEMOKABLE. 

this  beautiful  and  novel  sight,  which  few  Englishmen  can 
have  witnessed.  Fain  would  I  have  plunged  into  the 
lake  to  obtain  specimens  of  the  splendid  flowers  and 
foliage ;  but  the  knowledge  that  these  waters  abounded 
with  alligators,  and  the  advice  of  my  guide,  deterred  me."* 
In  the  travels  of  Mungo  Park  in  the  interior  of  Africa, 
he  is  said  to  have  been  at  one  time  so  exhausted  by 
fever,  and  so  depressed  with  his  forlorn  and  apparently 
hopeless  condition,  that  he  had  lain  down  to  die.  His 
eye,  however,  chanced  to  light  on  a  minute  moss,-)-  with 
which  he  had  been  familiar  in  his  native  Scotland.  The 
effect  on  him  was  magical ;  the  reflection  instantly  occur- 
red, that  the  same  Divine  hand  which  made  that  little 
plant  to  grow  beneath  that  burning  clime  was  stretched 
out  in  loving  care  and  protection  over  him ;  and,  smiling 
amidst  his  tears,  he  cast  himself  on  the  love  of  his  hea- 
venly Father,  and  was  comforted.  We  may  well  believe 
that  the  sight  of  the  fork-moss  would  ever  afterwards 
call  up  a  vivid  recollection  of  that  desolate  scene,  and 
that  he  could  never  look  on  it  without  strong  emotion. 


If  it  should  be  thought  that  some  of  the  incidents  and 
objects  which  I  have  adduced  as  examples  of  the  memor- 
able, are  mean  and  slight,  and  far  less  worthy  of  notice 
than  multitudes  of  other  things  that  might  have  been 
selected,  I  would  suggest  that  what  makes  them  worthy 
of  remembrance  is  not  their  intrinsic  value,  but  their  con- 
nexion with  the  thoughts  of  the  observer ;  a  connexion 

*  Lond.  Journ.  of  Potany,  iv.,  p.  571.        f  Dicranum  bry aides. 


A  NATURALIST'S  ENTHUSIASM.  193 

which  cannot  be  commanded  nor  controlled.  Why  one 
man  should  have  a  powerful  longing  to  behold  a  certain 
sort  of  butterfly  or  to  hear  a  particular  bird,  when  he 
cares  nothing  about  the  lion  or  the  elephant ;  why  a  fern 
should  fill  one  mind  with  strong  emotion,  and  a  spray 
of  moss  another,  while  the  magnificent  palm  leaves  both 
unmoved,  we  can  give  no  reason  but  those  peculiarities 
of  thought  and  feeling  which  constitute  the  individuality 
of  minds.  Yet,  that  such  is  the  fact,  every  admirer  of 
nature  who  has  an  element  of  poetry  in  his  soul  will 
admit.  He  well  knows  that  the  distinct  and  promi- 
nent points  in  memory,  those  which  invariably  start  up 
in  association  with  certain  scenes,  are  by  no  means 
those  —  at  least,  not  invariably  or  necessarily  —  which 
are  of  most  intrinsic  importance,  but  such  as  to  an- 
other will  often  jseem  trivial  and  destitute  of  aesthetic 
power. 

"  The  desire,"  says  Humboldt,  "  which  we  feel  to  behold 
certain  objects  is  not  excited  solely  by  their  grandeur, 
their  beauty,  or  their  importance.  In  each  individual  this 
desire  is  interwoven  with  pleasing  impressions  of  youth, 
with  early  predilections  for  particular  pursuits,  with 
the  inclination  for  travelling,  and  the  love  of  an  active 
life.  In  proportion  as  the  fulfilment  of  a  wish  may 
have  appeared  improbable,  its  realisation  affords  the 
greater  pleasure.  The  traveller  enjoys,  in  anticipation, 
the  happy  moment  when  he  shall  first  behold  the  constel- 
lation of  the  Cross,  and  the  Magellanic  clouds  circling 

over  the  South  Pole ;  when  he   shall  come  in  sight  of 

N 


194»  THE  MEMORABLE. 

the  snow  of  the  Chimborazo,  and  of  the  column  of 
smoke  ascending  from  the  Volcano  of  Quito ;  when,  for 
the  first  time,  he  shall  gaze  on  a  grove  of  tree-ferns,  or 
on  the  wide  expanse  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  days  on 
which  such  wishes  are  fulfilled  mark  epochs  in  life,  and 
create  indelible  impressions ;  exciting  feelings  which 
require  not  to  be  accounted  for  by  a  process  of  reason- 
ing."* 

*  Views  of  Nature,  p.  417. 


VIII. 
THE  RECLUSE. 

THERE  are  regions  where  the  presence  of  man  is  a  thing 
so  totally  out  of  experience,  that  the  wild  animals  manifest 
no  sort  of  dread  of  him  when  he  does  by  accident  intrude 
on  their  solitude.  In  the  Galapagos  Islands,  perhaps  the 
most  singular  land  in  the  world,  all  the  animals  appear 
quite  devoid  of  the  fear  of  man.  Cowley,  in  1684, 
observed  that  the  doves  there  "were  so  tame  that  they 
would  often  alight  on  our  hats  and  arms,  so  as  that  we 
could  take  them  alive/'  Darwin  saw  a  boy  sitting  by  a 
well  with  a  switch,  with  which  he  killed  the  doves  and 
finches  as  they  came  to  drink.  He  had  already  obtained 
a  heap  of  them  for  his  dinner,  and  he  said  he  had  been 
constantly  in  the  habit  of  doing  this.  The  naturalist 
himself  says  that  a  mocking-bird  alighted  on  the  edge  of 
a  pitcher  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  began  quietly  to 
sip  the  water ; — that  a  gun  is  superfluous,  for  with  the 
muzzle  he  actually  pushed  a  hawk  off  the  branch  of  a 
tree :  in  fact,  all  the  birds  of  the  islands  will  allow  them- 
selves to  be  killed  with  a  switch,  or  even  to  be  caught  in 
a  hat. 

Other  naturalists  have  noticed  the  extreme  tameness 
of  many  kinds  of  birds  at  the  Falkland  Islands ;  where, 


196  THE  KECLUSE. 

though  they  take  precautions  against  the  attacks  of  foxes, 
they  appear  to  have  no  dread  of  man.  Formerly  they  were 
more  confiding  than  at  present.  When  the  Isle  of  Bourbon 
was  discovered,  all  the  birds,  except  the  flamingo  and 
goose,  were  so  tame  that  they  could  be  caught  with  the 
hand ;  and  on  the  lone  islet  of  Tristan  d'Acunha  in  the 
Atlantic,  the  only  two  land-birds,  a  thrush  and  a  bunting, 
were  so  tame  as  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  caught  with  a 
hand-net.  I  have  myself  had  large  and  beautiful  butter- 
flies come  and  suck  at  flowers  in  my  hand,  in  the  forest- 
glades  of  North  America. 

Cowper  has  finely  used  this  phenomenon  to  heighten 
the  desolation  of  a  solitary  island,  when  he  makes  Sel- 
kirk, on  Juan  Fernandez,  complain, — 

"  The  beasts  that  roam  over  the  plain, 

My  form  with  indifference  see ; 
They  are  so  unacquainted  with  man ; 
Their  tameness  is  shocking  to  me." 

But  these  facts  are  only  local  and  partial  exceptions  to 
a  general  rule.  They  can  in  nowise  be  allowed  to  set 
aside  the  prevalence  of  that  pristine  law,  by  which  God 
covenanted  to  implant  a  terror  of  man  in  all  the  inferior 
creatures,  even  those  which  are  far  stronger  than  he. 
"  And  the  fear  of  you  and  the  dread  of  you  shall  be  upon 
every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  upon  every  fowl  of  the  air, 
upon  all  that  moveth  upon  the  earth,  and  upon  all  the 
fishes  of  the  sea/'*  Often  have  I  seen,  and  marked  with 
wonder,  the  excessive  vigilance  and  jealousy  with  which 

*  Gen.  ix.  2. 


FEAR  AND  CONFIDENCE.  197 

fishes  watch  the  least  approach  of  man.  Often  have  I 
stood  on  a  rock  in  Jamaica,  and  seen  the  little  shoals 
come  playing  and  nibbling  at  my  feet,  apparently  all 
unconscious  of  the  monster  that  was  watching  them ;  but 
the  least  movement  of  the  hand  towards  them  was 
sufficient  to  send  them  like  arrows  in  all  directions.  And 
how  often  have  I  been  tantalised  by  the  excessive  prudence 
of  some  fine  butterfly  that  I  eagerly  desired  to  capture, 
when,  day  after  day,  I  might  see  the  species  numerous 
enough  at  a  particular  part  of  the  forest,  and  by  no  means 
shy  of  being  seen,  playing  in  the  air,  and  alighting  con- 
tinually on  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  continuing  there, 
opening  and  closing  their  beauteous  wings  in  the  sun, 
and  rubbing  them  together  with  the  most  fearless  uncon- 
cern, though  I  walked  to  and  fro  with  upturned  face 
below, — yet  invariably  taking  care  to  keep  themselves  just 
out  of  the  reach  of  my  net ! 

This  power  of  judging  of  actual  danger,  and  the  free- 
and-easy  boldness  which  results  from  it,  are  by  no  means 
uncommon.  Many  birds  seem  to  have  a  most  correct 
notion  of  a  gun's  range,  and,  while  scrupulously  careful 
to  keep  beyond  it,  confine  their  care  to  this  caution, 
though  the  most  obvious  resource  would  be  to  fly  quite 
away  out  of  sight  and  hearing,  which  they  do  not  choose 
to  do.  And  they  sometimes  appear  to  make  even  an 
ostentatious  use  of  their  power,  fairly  putting  their  wit 
and  cleverness  in  antagonism  to  that  of  man,  for  the 
benefit  of  their  fellows.  I  lately  read  an  account,  by  a 
naturalist  in  Brazil,  of  an  expedition  he  made  to  one  of 


198  THE  KECLUSE. 

the  islands  of  the  Amazon  to  shoot  spoonbills,  ibises,  and 
other  of  the  magnificent  grallatorial  birds,  which  were 
most  abundant  there.  His  design  was  completely  baffled, 
however,  by  a  wretched  little  sandpiper,  that  preceded 
him,  continually  uttering  its  tell-tale  cry,  which  at  once 
aroused  all  the  birds  within  hearing.  Throughout  the 
day  did  this  individual  bird  continue  its  self-imposed  duty 
of  sentinel  to  others,  effectually  preventing  the  approach 
of  the  fowler  to  the  game,  and  yet  managing  to  keep  out 
of  the  reach  of  his  gun. 

There  is,  however,  in  some  animals,  a  tendency  to  seek 
safety  in  an  entire  avoidance  of  the  presence  of  man ;  a 
jealous  shyness  which  cannot  bear  to  be  even  looked  at, 
and  which  prompts  the  creature  to  haunt  the  most  recluse 
and  solitary  places.  This  disposition  invests  them  with  a 
poetic  interest.  The  loneliness  of  the  situations  which 
they  choose  for  their  retreats  has  in  itself  a  charm,  and 
the  rarity  with  which  we  can  obtain  a  glimpse  of  them  in 
their  solitudes  makes  the  sight  proportionally  gratifying 
when  we  can  obtain  it. 

The  golden  eagle  seeks  for  its  eyrie,  the  peak  of  some 
inaccessible  rock,  far  from  the  haunts  of  man,  whose  do- 
main it  shuns.  Here  it  forms  its  platform-nest,  rearing 
its  young  in.  awful  silence  and  solitude,  unbroken  even  by 
the  presence  of  bird  or  beast ;  for  these  it  jealously  drives 
from  its  neighbourhood.  The  bald  eagle  of  North  Ame- 
rica achieves  the  same  end  by  selecting  the  precipices  of 
cataracts  for  its  abode.  Lewis  and  Clarke  have  described  * 

*  Expedition,  i.,  p.  264. 


THE  SUMMEK-DUCK.  199 

the  picturesque  locality  of  the  nest  of  a  pair  of  these 
birds  amidst  the  grand  scenery  of  the  Falls  of  the  Mis- 
souri. Just  below  the  upper  fall  there  is  a  little  islet 
in  the  midst  of  the  boiling  river,  well  covered  with  wood. 
Here,  on  a  lofty  cotton-wood  tree,  a  pair  of  bald  eagles 
had  built  their  nest,  the  undisputed  lords  of  the  spot,  to 
contest  whose  dominion  neither  man  nor  beast  would 
venture  across  the  gulf  which  surrounds  it,  the  awfulness 
of  their  throne  being  further  defended  by  the  encircling 
mists  which  perpetually  arise  from  the  falls. 

Our  own  wild -duck  or  mallard  is  a  shy  bird,  avoiding 
the  haunts  of  man,  and  resorting  to  the  reedy  margins  of 
some  lonely  lake,  or  broad  reach  of  a  river.  The  summer- 
duck  of  America  has  similar  habits,  but  more  delights  in 
woods.  I  have  often  been  charmed,  when  standing  by 
the  edge  of  some  darkling  stream,  bordered  with  lofty 
trees  that  so  overhang  the  water  as  nearly  to  meet, 
leaving  only  a  narrow  line  of  sky  above  the  centre  of  the 
river,  with  the  sight  of  the  coy  summer-duck.  When 
the  western  sky  is  burning  with  golden  flame,  and  its 
gleam,  reflected  from  the  middle  of  "  the  dark,  the  silent 
stream,"  throws  into  blacker  shadow  the  placid  margins, 
then,  from  out  of  the  indistinct  obscurity,  a  whirring  of 
wings  is  heard,  and  the  little  duck  shoots  plashing  along 
the  surface  into  the  centre,  leaving  a  long  V-shaped  wake 
behind  her,  till,  rising  into  the  air,  she  sails  away  on 
rapid  pinion  till  the  eye  loses  her  in  the  sunset  glow. 

On  other  occasions  we  trace  the  same  bird  far  up  in 
the  solitudes  of  the  sky,  breaking  into  view  out  of  the 


200  THE  RECLUSE. 

objectless  expanse,  and  presently  disappearing  in  the  same 
blank.  We  wonder  whence  it  came  ;  whither  it  is  going. 
Bryant's  beautiful  stanzas,  though  well  known,  will  bear 
repetition  here : — 

TO  A  WATER-FOWL. 

Whither,  'midst  falling  dew, 

While  glow  the  heavens  with  the  last  steps  of  day, 
Far  through  their  rosy  depths,  dost  thou  pursue 

Thy  solitary  way  ? 

Vainly  the  fowler's  eye 

Might  mark  thy  distant  flight  to  do  thee  wrong, 
As,  darkly  painted  on  the  crimson  sky, 

Thy  figure  floats  along. 

Seek'st  thou  the  plashy  brink 
Of  weedy  lake,  or  marge  of  river  wide, 
Or  where  the  rocking  billows  rise  and  sink 

On  the  chafed  ocean  side  ? 

There  is  a  Power  whose  care 
Teaches  thy  way  along  that  pathless  coast, — 
The  desert  and  illimitable  air, — 

Lone  wandering,  but  not  lost. 

Al1  day  thy  wings  have  fann'd, 
At  that  far  height,  the  cold,  thin  atmosphere, 
Yet  stoop  not,  weary,  to  the  welcome  land, 

Though  the  dark  night  is  near. 

And  soon  that  toil  shall  end. 
Soon  shalt  thou  find  a  summer  home,  and  rest, 
And  scream  among  thy  fellows ;  reeds  shall  bend, 

Soon,  o'er  thy  shelter'd  nest. 

Thou'rt  gone,  the  abyss  of  heaven 
Hath  swallow'd  up  thy  form ;  yet,  on  my  heart, 
Deeply  hath  sunk  the  lesson  thou  hast  given, 

And  shall  not  soon  depart. 


THE  SCOTTISH  UEUS.  20  J 

He  who,  from  zone  to  zone, 

Guides  through  the  boundless  sky  thy  certain  flight, 
In  the  long  way  that  I  must  tread  alone, 

Will  lead  my  steps  aright. 

The  ostrich  is  remarkably  shy  and  wary.  A  native  of 
wide  sandy  plains,  its  stature  enables  it  to  command  a 
wide  horizon,  while  its  great  fleetness  makes  the  chase 
a  most  severe  exercise.  "  When  she  lif  teth  herself  on 
high,  she  scorneth  the  horse  and  his  rider."  The  rheas, 
which  are  the  representatives  of  the  ostrich  in  South 
America,  inhabit  regions  presenting  many  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  African  plains,  and  have  much  the  same 
habits.  They  are  extraordinarily  vigilant,  and  so  swift  of 
foot,  that  it  is  only  by  surrounding  them  from  various 
quarters,  and  thus  confusing  the  birds,  who  know  not 
whither  to  run,  that  the  Gauchos  are  able  to  entangle 
them  with  the  bolas  or  weighted  cord.  Mr  Darwin  says 
that  the  bird  takes  alarm  at  the  approach  of  man,  when 
he  is  so  far  off  as  to  be  unable  to  discern  the  bird. 

Ancient  writers  mention  a  species  of  ox  as  inhabiting 
the  forests  of  Europe,  which  they  call  the  urus.  It  is 
described  as  being  of  a  most  savage  and  untameable 
disposition,  delighting  in  the  most  wild  and  recluse  parts 
of  the  forest,  of  vast  size  and  power.  It  is  generally 
believed  that  this  race  is  preserved  in  some  semi- wild  oxen 
of  a  pure  white  colour,  which  inhabit  one  or  two  extensive 
woodland  parks  in  the  northern  parts  of  our  own  island. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  effect  which  the  presence 
of  man  produces  upon  these  animals.  On  the  appearance 


202  THE  RECLUSE. 

of  any  person,  the  herd  sets  off  at  full  gallop,  and,  at  the 
distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  they  make  a  wheel 
round,  and  come  boldly  up  again,  tossing  their  heads  in  a 
menacing  manner;  on  a  sudden  they  make  a  full  stop,  at 
the  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  yards,  looking  wildly  at  the 
object  of  their  surprise  ;  but,  upon  the  least  motion  being 
made,  they  all  again  turn  round  and  fly  off  with  equal 
speed,  but  not  to  the  same  distance ;  forming  a  shorter 
circle,  and  again  returning  with  a  bolder  and  more 
threatening  aspect  than  before,  they  approach  much 
nearer,  probably  within  thirty  yards,  when  they  make 
another  stand,  and  again  fly  off;  this  they  do  several 
times,  shortening  their  distance,  and  advancing  nearer, 
till  they  come  within  ten  yards ;  when  most  people  think 
it  prudent  to  leave  them,  not  choosing  to  provoke  them 
further ;  for  there  is  little  doubt  but,  in  two  or  three  turns 
more,  they  would  make  an  attack. 

The  cows  and  calves  partake  of  this  jealous  seclusion. 
When  the  former  bring  forth,  it  is  in  some  sequestered 
thicket,  where  the  calf  is  carefully  concealed  until  it  is 
able  to  accompany  its  dam,  who,  till  that  time,  visits  it 
regularly  twice  or  thrice  a  day.  Should  accident  bring  a 
person  near  the  secret  place,  the  calf  immediately  claps  its 
head  upon  the  ground,  and  seeks  concealment  by  lying 
close  like  a  hare  in  its  form.  A  hidden  calf  of  only  two 
days  old,  on  being  disturbed,  manifested  its  inborn  wild- 
ness  in  a  remarkable  manner.  On  the  stranger  stroking 
its  head,  it  sprang  to  its  feet,  though  very  lean  and  very 
weak,  pawed  two  or  three  times  like  an  old  bull,  bellowed 


THE  EUSSIAN  BISON.  203 

very  loud,  stepped  back  a  few  paces,  and  bolted  at  his 
legs  with  all  its  force;  it  then  began  to  paw  again, 
bellowed,  stepped  back  and  bolted  as  before.  The  observer, 
however,  now  knowing  its  intention,  stepped  aside,  so  that 
it  missed  its  aim  and  fell,  when  it  was  so  very  weak  that  it 
could  not  rise,  though  it  made  several  efforts  to  do  so.  But 
it  had  done  enough  ;  the  whole  herd  had  taken  the  alarm, 
and,  coming  to  its  rescue,  obliged  the  intruder  to  retire. 

In  the  forests  of  Lithuania  there  yet  linger  a  few  herds 
of  another  enormous  ox,  which  at  one  time  roamed  over 
the  whole  of  Europe,  including  even  the  British  Isles — 
the  European  bison.  The  great  marshy  forest  of  Bialo- 
wicza,  in  which  it  dwells,  is  believed  to  be  the  only  ex- 
ample of  genuine  primeval  or  purely  natural  forest  yet 
remaining  in  Europe,  and  the  habits  of  the  noble  ox  are 
in  accordance  with  the  prestige  of  his  ancient  domain. 

A  few  years  ago  the  Czar  of  Eussia  presented  a  pair 
of  half-grown  animals  of  this  species  to  the  Zoological 
Society  of  London;  and  a  very  interesting  memoir  on 
their  capture,  by  M.  Dolmatoff,  was  published  in  their 
Proceedings.  A  few  extracts  from  that  paper  will  illus- 
trate the  seclusion  of  their  haunts  and  manners.  "  The 
day  was  magnificent,  the  sky  serene,  there  was  not  a 
breath  of  wind,  and  nothing  interrupted  that  calm  of 
nature  which  was  so  imposing  under  the  majestic  dome 
of  the  primitive  forest.  Three  hundred  trackers,  sup- 
ported by  fifty  hunters,  had  surrounded,  in  profound 
silence,  the  solitary  valley  where  the  herd  of  bisons  were 
found.  Myself,  accompanied  by  thirty  other  hunters,. 


204  THE  KECLUSE. 

the  most  resolute  and  skilful,  had  penetrated  in  Indian 
file  the  circle,  advancing  with  the  utmost  precaution,  and 
almost  fearing  to  breathe.  Arrived  at  the  margin  of  the 
valley,  a  most  interesting  spectacle  met  our  eyes.  The 
herd  of  bisons  were  lying  down  on  the  slope  of  a  hill, 
ruminating  in  the  most  perfect  security,  while  the  calves 
frolicked  around  the  herd,  amusing  themselves  by  attack- 
ing one  another,  striking  the  ground  with  their  agile 
feet,  and  making  the  earth  fly  into  the  air ;  then  they 
would  rush  towards  their  respective  dams,  rub  against 
them,  lick  them,  and  return  to  their  play.  But  at  the 
first  blast  of  the  horn  the  picture  changed  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye.  The  herd,  as  if  touched  with  a  magic 
wand,  bounded  to  their  feet,  and  seemed  to  concentrate 
all  their  faculties  in  two  senses,  those  of  sight  and  hear- 
ing. The  calves  pressed  timidly  against  their  mothers. 
Then,  while  the  forest  re-echoed  with  bellowings,  the 
bisons  proceeded  to  assume  the  order  which  they  always 
take  under  such  circumstances,  putting  the  calves  in 
front  to  guard  them  from  the  attack  of  pursuing  dogs, 
and  carrying  them  before.  When  they  reached  the 
line  occupied  by  the  trackers  and  hunters,  they  were  re- 
ceived with  loud  shouts  and  discharges  of  guns.  Immedi- 
ately the  order  of  battle  was  changed;  the  old  bulls 
rushed  furiously  towards  the  side,  burst  through  the  line 
of  the  hunters,  and  continued  their  victorious  course, 
bounding  along,  and  disdaining  to  occupy  themselves 
with  their  enemies,  who  were  lying  close  against  the  great 
trees.  The  hunters  managed,  however,  to  separate  from 


THE  MOOSE.  205 

the  herd  two  calves ;  one  of  these,  three  months  old,  was 
taken  at  one  effort,  another  of  fifteen  months,  though 
seized  by  eight  trackers,  overturned  them  all,  and  fled." 
It  was  subsequently  taken,  as  were  five  others,  in  another 
part  of  the  forest,  one  of  them  only  a  few  days  old.  The 
savage  impatience  of  man  manifested  by  these  young 
sylvan  s,  was  in  the  ratio  of  their  age  and  sex.  The  bull 
of  fifteen  months  maintained  for  a  long  time  its  sullen 
and  morose  behaviour ;  it  became  furious  at  the  approach 
of  man,  tossing  its  head,  lashing  its  tail,  and  presenting 
its  horns.  After  a  while,  however,  it  became  tolerant  of 
its  keeper,  and  was  allowed  a  measure  of  liberty.* 

All  the  kinds  of  deer  are  shy  and  timid,  but  that  fine 
species  the  moose  of  North  America  is  peculiarly  jealous 
and  suspicious.  The  Indians  declare  that  he  is  more  shy 
and  difficult  to  take  than  any  other  animal ;  more  vigilant, 
more  acute  of  sense,  than  the  reindeer  or  bison ;  fleeter 
than  the  wapiti,  more  sagacious  and  more  cautious 
than  the  deer.  In  the  most  furious  tempest,  when  the 
wind,  and  the  thunder,  and  the  groaning  of  the  trees,  and 
the  crash  of  falling  timber,  are  combining  to  fill  the  ear 
with  an  incessant  roar,  if  a  man,  either  with  foot  or  hand, 
break  the  smallest  dry  twig  in  the  forest,  the  Indians 
aver  that  the  moose  will  take  notice  of  it ;  he  may  not 
instantly  take  to  flight,  but  he  ceases  to  eat,  and  con- 
centrates his  attention.  4  If,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or 
so,  the  man  neither  moves  nor  makes  the  slightest  noise, 
the  animal  may  begin  to  feed  again ;  but  he  does  not  forget 

*  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.,  1848,  p.  Iti. 


200  THE  EECLUSE. 

what  attracted  his  notice,  and  for  many  hours  manifesto 
an  increased  watchfulness.  Hence,  it  requires  the  utmost 
patience  of  an  Indian  hunter  to  stalk  moose  successfully. 

The  Indians  believe  that  this  animal,  when  other  re- 
sources fail,  has  the  power  of  remaining  under  water  for 
a  long  time.  It  may  be  an  exaggeration  growing  out 
of  their  experience  of  the  many  marvellous  devices  which 
he  occasionally  practises  for  self-preservation,  and  in 
which  they  believe  he  is  more  accomplished  than  the  fox, 
or  any  other  animal.  A  curious  story  is  told,  which  may 
serve  to  illustrate  the  reputation  of  the  beast  in  the  eyes 
of  those  children  of  the  forest,  if  it  be  worth  no  more.  If 
there  is  any  truth  in  it,  we  must  assume  that  the  animal 
managed  to  bring  his  nostrils  to  the  surface  at  intervals ; 
but  how  he  could  do  this  so  as  to  elude  the  observation 
of  his  hunters  is  the  marvel.  For  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  they  were  Eed  Indians,  not  white  men. 

Two  credible  Indians,  after  a  long  day's  absence  on  a 
hunt,  came  in  and  stated  that  they  had  chased  a  moose 
into  a  small  pond ;  that  they  had  seen  him  go  to  the 
middle  of  it  and  disappear,  and  then,  choosing  positions 
from  which  they  could  see  every  part  of  the  circumference 
of  the  pond,  smoked  and  waited  until  evening ;  during  all 
which  time  they  could  see  no  motion  of  the  water,  or 
other  indication  of  the  position  of  the  moose. 

At  length,  being  discouraged,  they  had  abandoned  all 
hope  of  taking  him,  and  returned  home.  Not  long  after- 
wards came  a  solitary  hunter,  loaded  with  meat,  who  re- 
lated, that  having  followed  the  track  of  a  moose  for  some 


A  MOOSE- YARD.  20? 

distance,  he  had  traced  it  to  the  pond  before  mentioned  ; 
but  having  also  discovered  the  tracks  of  two  men,  made 
at  the  same  time  as  those  of  the  moose,  he  concluded  they 
must  have  killed  it.  Nevertheless,  approaching  cautiously 
to  the  margin  of  the  pond,  he  sat  down  to  rest.  Presently, 
he  saw  the  moose  rise  slowly  in  the  centre  of  the  pond, 
which  was  not  very  deep,  and  wade  towards  the  shore 
where  he  was  sitting.  When  he  came  sufficiently  near, 
he  shot  him  in  the  water. 

The  manner  of  hunting  moose  in  winter  is  also  illus- 
trative of  his  recluse  disposition.  Deer  are  taken  exten- 
sively by  a  process  called  "  crusting ; "  that  is,  pursuing 
them,  after  a  night's  rain  followed  by  frost  has  formed  a 
crust  of  ice  upon  the  surface  of  the  deep  snow.  This 
will  easily  bear  the  weight  of  a  man  furnished  with 
rackets,  or  snow-shoes,  but  gives  way  at  once  under  the 
hoof  of  a  moose  or  deer ;  and  the  animal  thus  embar- 
rassed is  readily  overtaken  and  killed. 

The  moose,  though  occasionally  taken  by  "  crusting," 
seems  to  understand  his  danger,  and  to  take  precautions 
against  it. 

The  sagacious  animal,  so  soon  as  a  heavy  storm  sets 
in,  begins  to  form  what  is  called  a  "  moose-yard/'  which 
is  a  large  area,  wherein  he  industriously  tramples  down 
the  snow  while  it  is  falling,  so  as  to  have  room  to  move 
about  in  and  browse  upon  the  branches  of  trees,  without 
the  necessity  of  wandering  from  place  to  place,  struggling 
through  the  deep  drifts,  exposed  to  the  wolves,  who,  being 
of  lighter  make,  hold  a  carnival  upon  the  deer  in  crusting 


208  THE  EECLUSE. 

time.  No  wolf,  however,  dares  enter  a  moose-yard.  He 
will  troop  round  and  round  upon  the  snow-bank  which 
walls  it,  and  his  howling  will,  perhaps,  bring  two  or  three  of 
his  brethren  to  the  spot,  who  will  try  to  terrify  the  moose 
from  his  vantage  ground,  but  dare  not  descend  into  it. 

The  Indians  occasionally  find  a  moose-yard,  and  take 
an  easy  advantage  of  the  discovery,  as  he  can  no  more 
defend  himself  or  escape  than  a  cow  in  a  village  pound. 
But,  when  at  liberty,  and  under  no  special  disadvantage, 
the  moose  is  one  of  the  noblest  objects  of  a  sportsman's 
ambition,  at  least  among  the  herbivorous  races.  His 
habits  are  essentially  solitary.  He  moves  about  not  like 
the  elk,  in  roving  gangs,  but  stalks  in  lonely  majesty 
through  his  leafy  domains ;  and,  when  disturbed  by  the 
hunter,  instead  of  bounding  away  like  his  congeners,  he 
trots  off  at  a  gait  which,  though  faster  than  that  of  the 
fleetest  horse,  is  so  easy  and  careless  in  its  motion  that  it 
seems  to  cost  him  no  exertion.  But,  though  retreating 
thus  when  pursued,  he  is  one  of  the  most  terrible  beasts 
of  the  forest  when  wounded  and  at  bay  ;  and  the  Indians 
of  the  north-west,  among  some  tribes,  celebrate  the  death 
of  a  bull-moose,  when  they  are  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  one, 
with  all  the  songs  of  triumph  that  they  would  raise  over 
a  conquered  warrior.* 

Who  has  not  read  of  the  chamois  of  the  Alps  and  the 
Tyrol  ?  and  who  does  not  know  with  what  an  unrelaxing 
vigilance  it  maintains  its  inaccessible  strongholds?  As 
long  as  summer  warms  the  mountain  air,  it  seeks  the 

*  Hoffmann's  Forest  and  Prairie,  i.,  p.  92. 


THE  CHAMOia  20.9 

loftiest  ridges,  ever  mounting  higher  and  higher,  treading 
with  sure-footed  fearlessness  the  narrow  shelves,  with  pre- 
cipices above  and  below,  leaping  lightly  across  yawning 
chasms  a  thousand  yards  in  depth,  and  climbing  up  the 
slippery  and  perilous  peaks,  to  stand  as  sentry  in  the 
glittering  sky.  Excessively  wary  and  suspicious,  all  its 
senses  seem  endowed  with  a  wonderful  acuteness,  so  that 
it  becomes  aware  of  the  approach  of  the  daring  hunter 
when  half-a-league  distant.  When  alarmed,  it  bounds 
from  ledge  to  ledge,  seeking  to  gain  a  sight  of  every 
quarter,  uttering  all  the  while  its  peculiar  hiss  of  impa- 
tience. At  length  it  catches  a  glimpse,  far  below,  of  the 
enemy  whose  scent  had  come  up  upon  the  breeze.  Away 
now  it  bounds,  scaling  the  most  terrible  precipices,  jump- 
ing across  the  fissures,  and  leaping  from  crag  to  crag 
with  amazing  energy.  Even  a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock 
thirty  feet  in  depth  does  not  balk  its  progress:  with 
astonishing  boldness  it  takes  the  leap,  striking  the  face  of 
the  rock  repeatedly  with  its  feet  as  it  descends,  both  to 
break  the  violence  of  the  shock,  and  to  direct  its  course 
more'  accurately.  Every  danger  is  subordinate  to  that  of 
the  proximity  of  man,  and  every  faculty  is  in  requisition 
to  the  indomitable  love  of  liberty.  Hence  the  chamois  is 
dear  to  the  Swiss  :  he  is  the  very  type  of  their  nation ;  and 
his  unconquerable  freedom  is  the  reflection  of  their  own. 

The  character  of  this  interesting  antelope,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  scenery  in  which  it  dwells,  are  so  pleasantly  touched 
in  a  little  poem  that  I  have  lately  met  with,  by  Miss  Crewd- 
son,  that  I  make  no  apology  for  quoting  it  at  length : — 


210  THE  KECLUSE. 


THE  GEMZE  FAWN.* 

In  a  sunny  Alpine  valley 

'Neath  the  snowy  Wetterhoni, 
See  a  maiden,  by  a  chalet, 

Playing  with  a  Gemze*  fawn. 
How  he  pricks  his  ears  to  hear  her, 

How  his  soft  eyes  flash  with  pride, 
As  she  tells  him  he  is  dearer 

Than  the  whole  wide  world  beside  1 
Dearer  than  the  lambkins  gentle, 

Dearer  than  the  frisking  kids, 
Or  the  pigeon  on  the  lintel, 

Coming — going — as  she  bids. 
Dearer  than  the  first  spring  lily, 

Peeping  on  the  snowy  fell ; 
Dearer  than  his  little  Willie 

To  the  heart  of  William  Tell. 

By  a  gushing  glacier  fountain, 

On  the  giant  Wetterhorn, 
'Midst  the  snow-fields  of  the  mountain, 

Was  the  little  Gemze  born  : 
And  his  mother,  though  the  mildest 

And  the  gentlest  of  the  herd, 
Was  the  fleetest  and  the  wildest, 

And  as  lightsome  as  a  bird. 
But  the  gazer  watch'd  her  gliding 

In  the  silence  of  the  dawn, 
Seeking  for  a  place  of  hiding, 

For  her  little,  tender  fawn ; 
So  he  mark'd  her,  all  unheeding 

(Swift  and  sure  the  bolt  of  death) ; 
And  he  bore  her,  dead  and  bleeding, 

To  his  Alpine  home  beneath. 

*  In  all  the  German-Swiss  cantons,  and  throughout  the  Tyrol,  the 
Chamois  is  called  the  "  Gemze* ; "  the  other  name,  "  Chamois,"  prevailing 
only  in  those  cantons  in  which  French  is  spoken. 


THE  GEMZE  FAWN.  21  1 

And  f,he  orphan  Gemze*  follows, 

Calling  her  with  plaintive  bleat, 
O'er  the  knolls  and  through  the  hollowo, 

Trotting  on  with  trembling  feet 

See,  the  cabin  latch  is  raised 

By  a  small  and  gentle  hand, 
And  the  face  that  upward  gazed 

Had  a  smile  serene  and  bland ; 
Bertha  was  the  Switzer's  daughter, 

And  herself  an  orphan  child ; 
But  her  sorrows  all  had  taught  her 

To  be  gentle,  kind,  and  mild. 
You  might  see  a  tear-drop  quivering 

In  her  honest  eye  of  blue, 
As  she  took  the  stranger,  shivering, 

To  her  heart  so  warm  and  true. 
"  /  will  be  thy  mother,  sweetest," 

To  the  fawn  she  whisper'd  low ; 
"  I  will  heed  thee  when  thou  bleateet, 

And  will  solace  all  thy  woe." 
Then  the  tottering  Gemze',  stealing 

Towards  her,  seem'd  to  understand, 
Gazing  on  her  face,  and  kneeling, 

Placed  his  nose  within  her  hand  1 

Every  day  the  Switzer  maiden 

Shared  with  him  her  milk  and  bread; 
Every  night  the  fawn  is  laid  on 

Moss  and  ling  beside  her  bed. 
Blue  as  mountain  periwinkle 

Is  the  ribbon  round  his  throat, 
Where  a  little  bell  doth  tinkle 

With  a  shrill  and  silvery  note. 
When  the  morning  light  is  flushing 

Wetterhorn  so  cpld  and  pale, 
Or  when  evening  shades  are  hushing 

All  the  voices  of  the  vale, 
You  might  hear  the  maiden  singing 

To  her  happy  Gemzd  fawn, 


212  THE  RECLUSE. 

While  the  kids  and  lambs  she's  bringing 
Up  or  down  the  thymy  lawn. 

Spring  is  come,  and  little  Bertha, 

With  her  chamois  at  her  side, 
Up  the  mountain  wander'd  further 

Than  the  narrow  pathway  guide. 
Every  step  is  paved  with  flowers : — 

Here  the  bright  mezereon  glows; 
Here  the  tiger-lily  towers, 

And  the  mountain  cistus  blows ; 
Here  the  royal  eagle  rushes 

From  his  eyrie  overhead ; 
There  the  roaring  torrent  gushes 

Madly  o'er  its  craggy  bed. 
Hark  ! — from  whence  that  distant  bleating, 

Like  a  whistle  clear  and  shrill  ? 
Gemze' !  Ah,  thy  heart  is  beating, 

With  a  wild  and  sudden  thrill ! 
Voices  of  thy  brothers,  scouring 

Over  sparkling  fields  of  ice, 
Where  the  snow-white  peaks  are  towering 

O'er  the  shaggy  precipice. 

Bertha  smiled  to  see  him  listening, 

(Arching  neck,  and  quivering  ear, 
Panting  chest,  and  bright  eyes  glistening,) 

To  that  whistle  wild  and  clear. 
Little  knew  she  that  it  sever'd 

All  that  bound  him  to  the  glen, 
That  her  gentle  bands  are  shiver'd, 

And  the  tame  one — wild  again! 
To  the  next  wild  bleat  that  soundeth, 

Makes  he  answer  strong  and  shrill; 
Wild  as  wildest,  off  he  boundeth 

Fleet  as  fleetest  o'er  the  hill. 
"  Gemze*  !  Gemze' !  Komrnt,  mein  lieber !" 

Echoes  faint,  from  height  to  height : 

*  Coine,  my  darling ! 


A  FOREST-POOL.  213 

Dry  thy  tears,  sweet  Hertha !  never 

Will  he  glance  again  in  sight. 
But,  when  paling  stars  are  twinkling 

In  the  twilight  of  the  morn, 
Thou  may'st  hear  his  bell  a-tinkling 

'Midst  the  snows  of  Wetterhorn. 
And  the  kindness  thou  bestowest 

On  the  helpless,  thou  shalt  prove, 
Somehow,  when  thou  little  knowest, 

In  a  blessing  from  above  ! 

An  interesting  scene  of  recluse  life  is  exhibited  by  many 
a  little  pool  in  tropical  America,  such  as  I  have  seen  in 
Jamaica,  and  such  as  I  have  seen,  too,  in  the  parts  of  the 
northern  continent  bordering  on  the  tropics.  You  pene- 
trate the  sombre  woods  perhaps  for  miles,  and  suddenly, 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  perfect  quietude,  you  see  a  great 
light,  and  open  upon  an  area  occupied  by  a  green  level, 
which,  from  indications  here  and  there,  you  perceive  to  be 
water,  covered  with  a  coat  of  vegetation.  The  lofty  trees 
rise  up  in  closely-serried  ranks  all  around,  from  the  very 
margin,  and  their  long  branches,  as  if  rejoicing  in  the 
unwonted  room  and  light,  stretch  out  over  the  water,  and 
dip  their  twigs  into  it.  The  long,  pendent  strings  of 
parasites  hang  down,  and  lightly  touch  the  surface, 
whipping  the  floating  duck-weed  aside  when  a  storm 
agitates  the  great  trees.  From  time  to  time,  one  and 
another  have  been  prostrated  before  the  tempest,  and, 
falling  into  the  pond,  ^project  their  half-decayed  trunks 
in  great  snags  from  the  sluggish  surface,  or  form  piers, 
wh.ch  stretch  away  from  the  banks  into  the  midst  of  the 
lake,  and  precarious  bridges  across  different  portions. 


214  THE  KECLUSE. 

If  we  make  our  way  by  the  starlight  of  the  early 
morning  to  such  a  forest-pond  as  this,  arriving  silently 
and  cautiously  at  its  margin,  before  the  light  of  the 
advancing  dawn  has  yet  struggled  into  the  little  inclosure, 
and  take  our  station  behind  the  shelter  of  a  leafy  bush, 
we  shall  discern  that  the  spot  is  instinct  with  life.  A 
loud  clanging  cry  is  uttered,  like  the  note  of  a  child's 
trumpet,  which  is  immediately  taken  up  in  response  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  pool.  Then  a  whirring  of  wings, 
and  much  splashing  of  water.  More  of  the  loud  clangours, 
and  more  splashing ;  and  now  the  increasing  light  enables 
us  to  discern  a  dozen  or  a  score  of  tiny  black  objects 
sitting  on  the  surface,  or  hurrying  to  and  fro.  They 
look  like  the  tiniest  of  ducks,  but  are  jet  black ;  some  are 
sitting  on  the  points  of  the  projecting  snags;  and,  by  their 
erect  attitude,  we  readily  recognise  that  they  are  grebes. 

Now  it  is  light  enough  to  see  clearly,  and  the  suspici- 
ous birds  do  not  yet  seem  to  be  aware  of  our  presence. 
Yonder,  on  the  branch  of  a  half-submerged  tree,  is  a  great 
dark  mass,  and  a  little  bird  sitting  in  it ;  it  must  surely 
be  her  nest.  We  must  examine  it. 

Yet,  stay!  What  is  that  serpent-like  object  that  so 
quietly  sits  on  yonder  overhanging  bough  ?  Is  it  indeed 
a  black  snake  reposing,  with  elevated  neck,  upon  the 
horizontal  limb  ?  It  moves !  It  is  a  bird  !  The  lithe  and 
slender  neck  is  thrown  round,  and  we  see  the  head  and 
beak  of  a  bird,  which  begins  to  preen  and  arrange  the 
plumage  of  a  black  body,  which  is  squatted  close  to  the 
bough.  Mark  that  sudden  start !  The  neck  is  elevated 


THE  WATER-SHREW.  215 

to  the  utmost ;  the  head  is  raised  in  an  attitude  of  atten- 
tion ;  and  the  bird  remains  in  the  most  absolute  stillness. 
It  was  that  leaf  that  we  rustled,  in  the  nervousness  of  our 
desire  to  see  him  more  distinctly ;  he  heard  it,  and  is  on 
the  watch.  Lo,  he  is  gone  !  he  dropped,  like  a  stone,  per- 
pendicularly into  the  pool  below;  and  yet  not  like  a 
stone,  for  he  made  no  splash,  and  we  are  amazed  that  so 
large  a  body  could  be  immersed  from  so  great  a  distance, 
and  yet  produce  scarcely  a  perceptible  disturbance  of  the 
surface. 

The  little  grebes,  too,  have  taken  the  warning ;  they  are 
gone,  all  but  the  faithful  mother  on  the  nest.  She  yet 
lingers ;  but  we  shew  ourselves,  and  advance ;  and  now 
she  jumps  into  the  green  water,  and  disappears ;  and  all 
is  as  still  and  sombre  as  if  we  were  gazing  on  a  grave. 

In  our  sequestered  rural  districts  we  have  a  little  ani- 
mal not  uncommon,  almost  the  tiniest  of  all  quadrupeds, 
the  water-shrew,  whose  graceful  form  and  pleasing  habits 
are  very  seldom  seen,  because  of  its  cautious  timidity. 
With  great  care  it  may,  however,  be  occasionally  detected 
in  its  gambols,  and,  with  due  precaution,  watched.  The 
following  charming  picture  of  the  little  creature  at  free- 
dom, all  unconscious  of  observation,  has  been  drawn  by 
Mr  Dovaston : — "  On  a  delicious  evening,  far  in  April 
1825,  a  little  before  sunset,  strolling  in  my  orchard,  be- 
side a  pool,  and  looking  into  the  clear  water  for  insects 
I  expected  about  that  time  to  come  out,  1  was  surprised 
by  seeing  what  I  momentarily  imagined  to  be  some  very 
large  beetle,  dart  with  rapid  motion,  and  suddenly  dis- 


-2]  6  THE  KECLUSE. 

appear.  Laying  myself  down,  cautiously  and  motionless, 
on  the  grass,  I  soon,  to  my  delight  and  wonder,  observed 
it  was  a  mouse.  I  repeatedly  marked  it  glide  from  the 
bank  under  water,  and  bury  itself  in  the  mass  of  leaves 
at  the  bottom  ;  I  mean  the  leaves  that  had  fallen  off  the 
trees  in  autumn,  and  which  lay  very  thick  over  the  mud. 
It  very  shortly  returned,  and  entered  the  bank,  occasion- 
ally putting  its  long,  sharp  nose  out  of  the  water,  and 
paddling  close  to  the  edge.  This  it  repeated  at  very 
frequent  intervals,  from  place  to  place,  seldom  going 
more  than  two  yards  from  the  side,  and  always  returning 
in  about  half  a  minute.  I  presume  it  sought  and 
obtained  some  insect  or  food  among  the  rubbish  and 
leaves,  and  retired  to  consume  it.  Sometimes,  it  would 
run  a  little  on  the  surface,  and  sometimes,  timidly  and 
hastily,  come  ashore,  but  with  the  greatest  caution,  and 
instantly  plunge  in  again. 

"  During  the  whole  sweet  spring  of  that  fine  year  I  con- 
stantly visited  my  new  acquaintance.  When  under  water 
he  looks  gray,  on  account  of  the  pearly  cluster  of  minute 
air-bubbles  that  adhere  to  his  fur,  and  bespangle  him  all 
over.  His  colour,  however,  is  very  dark  brown."  .... 

After  entering  into  some  descriptive  details  of  the  speci- 
men, Mr  Dovaston  proceeds  : — "  This  minute  description  I 
am  enabled  to  give,  having  caught  it  in  an  angler's  landing- 
net,  and  carefully  inspected  it  in  a  white  basin  of  water. 
The  poor  creature  was  extremely  uneasy  under  inspection, 
and  we  soon,  with  great  pleasure,  restored  it  to  liberty 
and  love,  for  he  had  a  companion,  which,  from  her  paler 


THE  WATEK-SHREW.  21? 

colour  and  more  slender  form,  we  doubted  not  was  his 
mate,  and  we  were  fearful,  by  our  intrusion,  of  giving 
offence  to  either. 

"  He  swims  very  rapidly;  and  though  he  appears  to  dart, 
his  very  nimble  wriggle  is  clearly  discernible.  He  is  never 
seen  till  sunset ;  but  I  saw  him  every  evening  I  watched, 
with  the  most  perfect  facility.  They  are  easily  discovered 
about  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  on  still  evenings,  by  the 
undulating  semicircles  quickly  receding  from  the  bank  of 
the  pool,  when  they  are  dabbling  at  the  side.  I  believe 
this  to  be  the  animal  said  to  be  so  long  lost  in  England, 
the  water-shrew  (Sorex  fodiens  of  Pennant)  .... 

"  I  have  said  he  only  appears  at  evening,  and  such 
are  his  habits.  Once,  at  broad  and  bright  noon,  while 
leaning  on  a  tree,  gazing  on  the  sun-sparkles  passing 
(like  fairy  lights)  in  numberless  and  continual  succession 
under  the  gentlest  breath  of  air,  I  was  aware  of  my  little 
friend  running  nimbly  on  the  surface  among  them.  My 
rapture  caused  me  to  start  with  delight,  on  which  he 
vanished  to  .security,  within  his  rush-fringed  bank.  .  .  . 
I  should  have  mentioned  that,  on  very  still  evenings,  when 
my  ear  was  close  to  the  ground,  I  fancied  I  heard  him 
utter  a  very  short,  shrill,  feeble  sibilation,  not  unlike  that 
of  the  grasshopper-lark,  in  mild,  light  summer  nights, 
but  nothing  near  so  loud,  or  long  continued.  Though  I 
have  watched  for  him  warily  in  that  and  other .  places, 
after  having,  to  the  end  of  May,  contributed  to  the 
myriads  of  my  amusements,  I  never  saw  him  more."  * 

*  Hag.  Nat.  Hist.,  il,  p.  219. 


IX. 
THE  WILD. 

HAS  my  reader  ever  been  present  at  the  capture  of  a 
shark  ?  If  he  has  crossed  the  line,  or  even  if  he  knows 
what  it  is  to  spend  a  week  or  two  in  "the  calm  latitudes," 
the  debateable  border-sea  between  the  ordinary  breezes 
and  the  trades,  he  is  no  stranger  to  the  assiduous  atten- 
tions of  this  lank  and  lithe  tenant  of  the  tropical  seas. 
Jack  familiarly  calls  him  by  the  title  of  "  Sea-lawyer/' 
for  reasons  which  are  by  no  means  complimentary  to  the 
learned  profession ;  and  views  him  with  that  admixture  of 
hate  and  fear,  with  which  unsophisticated  landsmen  are 
apt  to  regard  his  terrestrial  representatives.  To  bait  a  line 
and  catch  the  mackerel  or  the  bonito,  is  always  a  welcome 
occupation  to  the  sailor  ;  but  to  no  amusement  does  Jack 
bend  himself  with  such  a  hearty  alacrity  as  to  take  the 
"  shirk/'  When,  on  approaching  the  northern  tropic, 

"  Down  drops  the  breeze,  the  sails  drop  down," 

'tis  not  "  sad  as  sad  can  be  ; "  for  all  is  hilarity  and  alert- 
ness. Away  goes  one  to  the  harness-cask,  for  a  junk  of 
salt  pork,  another  is  on  his  knees  before  the  cabin-locker 
rummaging  out  an  enormous  hook,  which  tradition  con- 
fidently reports  is  deposited  there ;  a  third  is  unreeving 
the  studding-sail  halyards  to  serve  as  a  line,  for  so  tough 


CATCHING  A  SHARK.  219 

a  customer  needs  stout  gear  ;  a  fourth  is  standing  on  the 
taffrail,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  monster,  that  now  drops 
off,  and  now  comes  gliding  up,  a  light-green  mass,  through 
the  blue  water,  till  his  whiteness  nearly  touches  the  sur- 
face, and  telling  the  villain  all  the  while,  with  uncouth 
maledictions,  that  his  time  is  coming.  The  mate  is  on 
the  jib-boom  wielding  the  grains,  whose  trident-prongs 
he  has  been  for  the  last  half-hour  sharpening  with  a  file, 
ready  to  take  by  force  any  one  of  the  hated  race  who 
may  be  too  suspicious  for  the  bait  astern.  And  now  the 
skipper  himself  comes  up,  for  even  dignity  itself  cannot 
resist  the  temptation,  and  with  his  own  brawny  hands 
puts  on  the  enticing  pork,  and  lowers  away. 

Tis  twirling  and  eddying  in  the  wash  of  the  ship's 
counter;  the  crew  are  divided  in  their  allegiance — half 
cluster  at  the  quarter  to  watch  the  captain's  success,  half 
at  the  cat-heads  to  see  the  mate's  harpooning.  There 
scuttle  up  the  two  little  pilot-fishes,  in  their  banded  livery 
of  blue  and  brown,  from  their  station  one  on  each  side 
of  the  shark's  nose :  they  hurry  to  the  bait,  sniff  at  it, 
nibble  at  it,  and  then  back  in  all  haste  to  their  huge 
patron,  giving  his  grimness  due  information  of  the  treat 
that  awaits  him.  See  how  eagerly  he  receives  it !  with 
a  lateral  wave  of  his,  powerful  tail  he  shoots  ahead,  and 
is  in  an  instant  at  the  pork.  "  Look  out  there !  stand  by 
to  take  a  turn  of  the  line  round  a  belaying  pin,  for  he 's 
going  to  bite,  and  he  11  give  us  a  sharp  tug ! "  Every 
pair  of  eyes  is  wide  open,  and  eveiy  mouth,  too ;  for  the 
monster  turns  on  his  side,  and  prepares  to  take  in  the 


220  THE  WIL1>. 

delicate  morsel.  But  no ;  he  smells  the  rusty  iron,  per- 
haps, or  perhaps  he  sees  the  line ;  at  any  rate  he  con- 
tents himself  with  a  sniff,  and  drops  astern;  coming 
forward  again,  however,  the  next  minute  to  sniff  and 
sniff  again.  'Tis  perilous  ;  yet  'tis  tempting. 

A  shout  forward !  The  mate  has  struck  one !  And 
away  rush  the  after  band  to  see  the  sport ;  the  skipper 
himself  hauls  in  the  line,  and  joins  the  shouting  throng. 
Yes ;  the  grains  have  been  well  thrown,  and  are  fast  in 
the  fleshy  part  of  the  back.  What  a  monster !  full 
fifteen  feet  long,  if  he 's  an  inch !  and  how  he  plunges, 
and  dives,  and  rolls  round  and  round,  enraged  at  the 
pain  and  restraint,  till  you  can't  discern  his  body  for  the 
sheet  of  white  foam  in  which  it  is  enwrapped  I  The  stout 
line  strains  and  creaks,  but  holds  on ;  a  dozen  eager 
hands  are  pulling  in,  and  at  last  the  unwilling  victim  is 
at  the  surface  just  beneath  the  bows,  but  plunging  with 
tremendous  force. 

Now,  one  •  of  the  smarter  hands  has  jumped  into  the 
forechains  with  a  rope  made  into  a  noose.  Many  efforts 
he  makes  to  get  this  over  the  tail,  without  success ;  at 
length  it  is  slipped  over,  in  an  instant  hauled  taut,  and 
the  prey  is  secure. 

"  Reeve  the  line  through  a  block,  and  take  a  run  with 
it ! "  Up  comes  the  vast  length,  tail  foremost,  out  of  the 
sea  ;  for  a  moment  the  ungainly  beast  hangs,  twining  and 
bending  his  body,  and  gnashing  those  horrid  fangs,  till 
hal  -a-dozen  boat-hooks  guide  toe  mass  to  its  death-bed 
on  the  broad  deck.  Stand  clear!  If  that  mouth  get 


AN  EXPEESSIVE  COUNTENANCE.  221 

hold  of  your  leg,  it  will  cut  through  it,  sinew,  muscle,  and 
bone ;  the  stoutest  man  on  board  would  be  swept  down 
if  he  came  within  the  reach  of  that  violent  tail.  What 
reverberating  blows  it  inflicts  on  the  smooth  planks  ! 

One  cannot  look  at  that  face  without  an  involuntary 
shudder.  The  long  flat  head,  and  the  mouth  so  greatly 
overhung  by  the  snout,  impart  a  most  repulsive  expres- 
sion to  the  countenance ;  and  then  the  teeth,  those 
terrible  serried  fangs,  as  keen  as  lancets,  and  yet  cut 
into  fine  notches  like  saws,  lying  row  behind  row,  row 
behind  row,  six  rows  deep!  See  how  the  front  rows 
start  up  into  erect  stiffness,  as  the  creature  eyes  you! 
You  shrink  back  from  the  terrific  implement,  no  longer 
wondering  that  the  stoutest  limb  of  man  should  be 
severed  in  a  moment  by  such  chirurgery.  But  the  eyes  ! 
those  horrid  eyes!  it  is  the  eyes  that  make  the  shark's 
countenance  what  it  is — the  very  embodiment  of  Satanic 
malignity.  Half-concealed  beneath  the  bony  brow,  the 
little  green  eye  gleams  with  so  peculiar  an  expression  of 
hatred,  such  a  concentration  of  fiendish  malice, — of  quiet, 
calm,  settled  villany,  that  no  other  countenance  that  I 
have  ever  seen  at  all  resembles.  Though  I  have  seen 
many  a  shark,  I  could  never  look  at  that  eye  without 
feeling  my  flesh  creep,  as  it  were,  on  my  bones. 

How  eerie  (to  use  an  expressive  northern  term,  for 
which  we  have  no  equivalent)  must  be  the  scene  pre- 
sented to  a  few  forlorn  mariners  committed  to  an  open 
boat  in  the  midst  of  the  broad  southern  sea,  a  thousand 
miles  from  land,  when  by  night  these  obscene  monsters 


222  THE  WILD. 

came  gliding  up  alongside,  keeping  hated  company! 
Cleaving  the  phosphorescent  sea,  their  bodies  are  invested 
with  an  elfish  light,  and  a  bluish  gleam  trails  behind. 
Nothing  strikes  more  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  poor 
ship-bereft  seamen  than  such  uninvited  companions. 
They  make  no  noise  :  as  silently  as  ghosts  they  steal 
along ;  now  disappearing  for  a  few  minutes  ;  then  there 
again ;  throughout  the  dreary  night  they  maintain  their 
vigil,  filling  the  failing  heart  with  auguries  of  death. 

What  do  they  there?  Ah!  their  horribly  unerring 
instinct  has  taught  them  that  such  an  object  too  often 
yields  them  the  meal  they  are  seeking.  They  silently 
demand  the  corpse  that  fatigue  and  suffering,  exposure 
and  privation,  are  surely  and  swiftly  preparing  for  them. 
They  well  deem  that  by  the  morning  light  a  sullen  plunge 
will  ease  the  boat  of  the  night's  dead,  and  they  are  quite 
ready  to  furnish  the  living  grave. 

The  following  vivid  picture,  though  given  in  a  work  of 
fiction,  is  so  manifestly  drawn  from  the  life,  that  I  shall  be 
pardoned  for  citing  it,  the  more  because  I  have  had  some 
opportunities  of  personally  verifying  this  writer  s  oceanic 
delineations,  and  have  observed  their  remarkable  truth- 
fulness— 

"  The  night  following  our  abandonment  of  the  ship  was 
made  memorable  by  a  remarkable  spectacle.  Slumber- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  Jarl  and  I  were  suddenly 
awakened  by  Samoa.  Starting,  we  beheld  the  ocean  of  a 
pallid  white  colour,  coruscating  all  over  with  tiny  golden 
sparkles.  But  the  pervading  hue  of  the  water  cast  a 


WHALES  AT  NIGHT.  223 

cadaverous  gleam  upon  the  boat,  so  that  we  looked  t<> 
each  other  like  ghosts.  For  many  rods  astern,  our  wake 
was  revealed  in  a  line  of  rushing  illuminated  foam  ;  while, 
here  and  there  beneath  the  surface,  the  tracks  of  sharks 
were  denoted  by  vivid,  greenish  trails,  crossing  and 
recrossing  each  other  in  every  direction.  Further  away, 
and  distributed  in  clusters,  floated  on  the  sea,  like  con- 
stellations in  the  heavens,  innumerable  medusae,  a  species 
of  small,  round,  refulgent  fish,  only  to  be  met  with  in  the 
South  Seas  and  the  Indian  Ocean. 

"  Suddenly,  as  we  gazed,  there  shot  high  into  the  air 
a  bushy  jet  of  flashes,  accompanied  by  the  unmistakeable 
deep-breathing  sound  of  a  sperm  whale.  Soon  the  sea 
all  round  us  spouted  in  fountains  of  fire  ;  and  vast  forms, 
emitting  a  glare  from  their  flanks,  and  ever  and  anon 
raising  their  heads  above  water,  and  shaking  off  the 
sparkles,  shewed  where  an  immense  shoal  of  cachalots 
had  risen  from  below,  to  sport  in  these  phosphorescent 
billows. 

"  The  vapour  jetted  forth  was  far  more  radiant  than 
any  portion  of  the  sea ;  ascribable,  perhaps,  to  the  origin- 
ally luminous  fluid,  contracting  still  more  brillancy  from 
its  passage  through  the  spouting  canal  of  the  whales. 

"  We  were  in  great  fear  lest,  without  any  vicious  inten- 
tion, the  leviathans  might  destroy  us  by  coming  into  close 
contact  with  our  boat.  We  would  have  shunned  them, 
but  they  were  all  round  and  round  us.  Nevertheless  we 
were  safe ;  for,  as  we  parted  the  pallid  brine,  the  peculiar 
irradiation  which  shot  from  about  our  keel  seemed  to 


224s  THE  WILD. 

deter  them.  Apparently  discovering  us  of  a  sudden, 
many  of  them  plunged  headlong  down  into  the  water, 
tossing  their  fiery  tails  high  into  the  air,  and  leaving  the 
sea  still  more  sparkling  from  the  violent  surging  of  their 
descent. 

"  Their  general  course  seemed  the  same  as  our  own ; 
to  the  westward.  To  remove  from  them,  we  at  last  out 
oars,  and  pulled  towards  the  north.  So  doing,  we  were 
steadily  pursued  by  a  solitary  whale  that  must  have  taken 
our  boat  for  a  kindred  fish.  Spite  of  all  our  efforts,  he 
drew  near  and  nearer ;  at  length  rubbing  his  fiery  flank 
against  the  gunwale,  here  and  there  leaving  long  strips 
of  the  glossy  transparent  substance,  which,  thin  as  a 
gossamer,  invests  the  body  of  the  cachalot. 

"  In  terror  at  a  sight  so  new,  Samoa  shrank.  But 
Jaii  and  I,  more  used  to  the  intimate  companionship  of 
the  whales,  pushed  the  boat  away  from  it  with  our  oars ; 
a  thing  often  done  in  the  fishery. 

"  But,  to  my  great  joy,  the  monster  at  last  departed ; 
rejoining  the  shoal,  whose  lofty  spoutings  of  flame  were 
still  visible  upon  the  distant  line  of  the  horizon,  showing 
there  like  the  fitful  starts  of  the  Aurora  Borealis. 

"  The  sea  retained  its  luminosity  for  about  three  hours, 
at  the  expiration  of  half  that  period  beginning  to  fade ; 
and,  excepting  occasional  faint  illuminations,  consequent 
upon  the  rapid  darting  of  fish  under  water,  the  phe- 
nomenon at  last  wholly  disappeared. 

"  Heretofore,  I  had  beheld  several  exhibitions  of  marine 
phosphorescence,  both  in  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific ;  but 


UNEARTHLINESS.  225 

nothing  in  comparison  with  what  was  seen  that  night. 
In  the  Atlantic,  there  is  very  seldom  any  portion  of  the 
ocean  luminous,  except  the  crests  of  the  waves,  and  these 
mostly  appear  so  during  wet  murky  weather.  Whereas, 
in  the  Pacific,  all  instances  of  the  sort  previously  coming 
under  my  notice,  had  been  marked  by  patches  of  greenish 
light,  unattended  with  any  pallidness  of  the  sea.  Save 
twice  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  when  I  was  summoned  from 
my  hammock  by  the  alarming  cry  of  '  All  hands  ahoy ! 
tack  ship  ! '  and  rushing  on  deck,  beheld  the  sea  white 
as  a  shroud ;  for  which  reason  it  was  feared  we  were  on 
soundings/'  * 

This  idea  of  unearthliness  is  a  great  element  in  the 
Romance  of  Natural  History.  Our  matter-of-fact  age 
despises  and  scouts  it  as  absurd,  and  those  who  are  con- 
scious of  such  impressions  acknowledge  that  they  are 
unreal,  yet  feel  them  none  the  less.  The  imaginative 
Greeks  peopled  every  wild  glen,  every  lonely  shore,  every 
obscure  cavern,  every  solemn  grove,  with  the  spiritual, 
only  rarely  and  fitfully  visible  or  audible.  So  it  has  been 
with  all  peoples,  especially  in  that  semi-civilised  stage 
which  is  so  favourable  to  poetic  developments :  the  elves 
and  fays,  the  sprites  and  fairies,  the  Jack-o'-lanterns,  the 
Will-o'-the-wisps,  and  Robin-goodfellows,  and  Banshees, — 
what  are  they  all  but  the  phenomena  of  nature,  dimly 
discerned,  and  attributed  by  a  poetic  temperament  to 
beings  of  unearthly  races,  but  of  earthly  sympathies? 
The  garish  day,  with  its  clearness  and  perfect  definition  of 

*  Melville's  Mardi,  vol.  i.,  p.  187. 
P 


226  THE  WILD. 

every  object,  is  far  less  favourable  for  these  impressions 
than  night;  not  only  because  at  the  latter  season  the  mind 
is  solemnised,  but  also  because  the  obscurity  renders 
visible  objects  dim  and  uncertain ;  gives  to  familiar  things 
strange  and  fantastic  forms  ;  and,  while  the  peculiar  con- 
ditions of  the  atmosphere  render  sounds  more  distinct, 
these  are  often  of  an  unwonted  character,  vague  in  their 
origin,  and  cannot  be  corrected  by  the  sense  of  sight. 

In  the  forests  of  Lower  Canada  and  the  New  England 
States  I  have  often  heard  in  spring  a  mysterious  sound, 
of  which  to  this  day  I  know  not  the  author.  Soon  after 
night  sets  in,  a  metallic  sound  is  heard  from  the  most 
sombre  forest  swamps,  where  the  spruce  and  the  hemlock 
give  a  peculiar  density  to  the  woods,  known  as  the  "  black 
growth/'  The  sound  comes  up  clear  and  regular,  like 
the  measured  tinkle  of  a  cow-bell,  or  gentle  strokes  on  a 
piece  of  metal,  or  the  action  of  a  file  upon  a  saw.  It 
goes  on,  with  intervals  of  interruption,  throughout  the 
hours  of  darkness.  People  attribute  it  to  a  bird,  which 
they  call  the  whetsaw  ;  but  nobody  pretends  to  have  seen 
it,  so  that  this  can  only  be  considered  conjecture,  though 
a  highly  probable  one.  The  monotony  and  pertinacity  oi 
this  note  had  a  strange  charm  for  me,  increased  doubtless 
by  the  mystery  that  hung  over  it.  Night  after  night,  it 
would  be  heard  in  the  same  spot,  invariably  the  most 
sombre  and  gloomy  recesses  of  the  black-timbered  woods. 
I  occasionally  watched  for  it,  resorting  to  the  woods 
before  sunset,  and  waiting  till  darkness ;  but,  strange  to 
say,  it  refused  to  perform  under  such  conditions.  The 


NOCTURNAL  BIRDS.  227 

shy  and  recluse  bird,  if  bird  it  is,  was  doubtless  aware 
of  the  intrusion,  and  on  its  guard.  Once  I  heard  it  under 
peculiarly  wild  circumstances.  I  was  riding  late  at  night, 
and  just  at  midnight  came  to  a  very  lonely  part  of  the 
road,  where  the  black  forest  rose  on  each  side.  Every- 
thing was  profoundly  still,  and  the  measured  tramp  of 
my  horse's  feet  on  the  frozen  road  was  felt  as  a  relief  to 
the  deep  and  oppressive  silence ;  when,  suddenly,  from 
the  sombre  woods,  rose  the  clear  metallic  tinkle  of  the 
whetsaw.  The  sound,  all  unexpected  as  it  was,  was  very 
striking,  and,  though  it  was  bitterly  cold,  I  drew  up  for 
some  time  to  listen  to  it.  In  the  darkness  and  silence  of 
the  hour,  that  regularly  measured  sound,  proceeding  too 
from  so  gloomy  a  spot,  had  an  effect  on  my  mind,  solemn 
and  unearthly,  yet  not  unmingled  with  pi  asure. 

It  is  doubtless  the  mystery  in  such  cases  that  mainly 
constitutes  the  charm.  In  Jamaica  I  used  to  hear  fre- 
quently a  querulous  cry,  "kep,  kep,  kep," — uttered  in 
the  air  after  night-fall  by  some  creature  which  flew  round 
in  a  great  circle,  but  was  invisible.  Now  and  then  the 
utterance  was  varied  by  a  most  demoniac  shriek  or  two, 
and  then  the  call  went  on  as  before.  I  was  exceedingly 
interested  in  this,  till  I  ascertained  that  it  was  the  white 
owl,  and  obtained  a  specimen,  after  which  the  romantic 
feeling  with  which  I  had  listened  to  it  was  no  longer 
awakened  by  the  sound. 

In  some  parts  of  this  country  the  peasantry  hear  with 
superstitious  awe  the  hollow  booming  note  of  the  bittern, 
proceeding  from  the  lonely  marsh  in  the  stillness  of  the 


228  THE  WILD. 

evening.  They  attribute  the  voice  to  some  supernatural 
creature  of  formi4able  size  and  powers,  which  is  supposed 
to  reside  at  the  bottom  of  the  fens,  and  which  they  call 
the  Bull-o'-the-bog.  The  sound  is  sufficiently  awful  to 
excuse  the  error. 

The  dreary  cypress-swamps  of  the  Southern  United 
States  possess  a  bird  closely  allied  to  our  bittern,  whose 
voice,  though  destitute  of  the  volume  of  the  European 
bird,  is  startling  enough  to  hear  in  its  savage  solitudes. 
Nothing  can  be  more  dismal,  even  by  day,  than  the  in- 
terior of  one  of  those  swamps, — half-tepid,  stagnant  water 
covering  the  ground,  the  dense  timber  trees,  a  hundred 
feet  in  height,  whose  opaque  and  sombre-hued  foliage 
almost  shuts  out  the  sky,  while  the  gaunt  horizontal 
branches  are  hung  with  far-pendent  ragged  bundles  of 
Spanish  moss,*  the  very  type  of  dreariness  and  desolation. 
Such  trees  remind  one  of  an  army  of  skeletons,  giants  of 
some  remote  age,  still  standing  where  they  had  lived,  and 
still  wearing  the  decaying  tatters  of  the  robes  which  they 
had  worn  of  old.  At  night,  however,  these  forests  are 
invested  with  tenfold  gloom,  and  imagination  peoples  the 
palpable  blackness  and  silence  with  all  sorts  of  horrors, 
as  the  eye  vainly  attempts  to  peer  into  their  depths; 
while  ever  and  anon,  the  melancholy  "  quah  ! "  hoarse  and 
hollow,  booms  out  from  the  solitude,  chilling  one's  spirit, 
as  if  it  were  the  voice  of  the  presiding  demon  of  the  place. 
Not  in  vain  have  the  inspired  Prophetsf  made  use  of  the 
bittern  as  one  of  the  elements  in  their  delineations  of 

*  TiMandsia  usneoides.  f  Isa.  xiv.  23,  xxxiv.  11 ;  Zej-h.  ii.  14. 


IMAGERY  OF  DESOLATION.  229 

awful  and  utter  desolation.  Take  for  an  example  the 
denunciation  upon  Idumea,  in  Isa.  xxxiv.  : — 

"And  the  streams  thereof  shall  be  turned  into  pitch, 
and  the  dust  thereof  into  brimstone,  and  the  land  thereof 
shall  become  burning  pitch. 

"  It  shall  not  be  quenched  night  nor  day ;  the  smoke 
thereof  shall  go  up  for  ever :  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion it  shall  lie  waste ;  none  shall  pass  through  it  for  ever 
and  ever. 

"  But  the  cormorant  and  the  bittern  shall  possess  it ;  the 
owl  also  and  the  raven  shall  dwell  in  it :  and  he  shall 
stretch  out  upon  it  the  line  of  confusion,  and  the  stones 
of  emptiness. 

"  They  shall  call  the  nobles  thereof  to  the  kingdom,  but 
none  shall  be  there,  and  all  her  princes  shall  be  nothing. 

"  And  thorns  shall  come  up  in  her  palaces,  nettles  and 
brambles  in  the  fortresses  thereof:  and  it  shall  be  an 
habitation  of  dragons,  and  a  court  for  owls. 

"  The  wild  beasts  of  the  desert  shall  also  meet  with  the 
wild  beasts  of  the  island,  and  the  satyr  shall  cry  to  his 
fellow ;  the  screech-owl  also  shall  rest  there,  and  find  for 
herself  a  place  of  rest. 

"There  shall  the  great  owl  make  her  nest,  and  lay, 
and  hatch,  and  gather  under  her  shadow ;  there  shall  the 
vultures  also  be  gathered,  every  one  with  her  mate." 

A  fine  accumulation  is  -here  of  wild  and  dreary  images ; 
and  I  do  not  know  a  better  exemplification  of  the  category 
of  natural  phenomena  under  consideration  than  this  awfuJ 
passage  of  Holy  Writ. 


230  THE  WILD. 

Sir  Emerson  Tennent,  in  his  elaborate  volumes  on 
Ceylon,  lately  published,  has  alluded  to  a  bird  of  night 
which  superstition  invests  with  peculiar  terrors.  He  thus 
speaks  of  it.  Like  the  whetsaw,  it  seems  to  be  "  wx  et 
prceterea  nihil." 

"  Of  the  nocturnal  accipitres  the  most  remarkable  is 
the  brown  owl,  which,  from  its  hideous  yell,  has  acquired 
the  name  of  the  '  Devil  Bird.'  The  Singhalese  regard  it 
literally  with  horror ;  and  its  scream  by  night,  in  the 
vicinity  of  a  village,  is  bewailed  as  the  harbinger  of 
approaching  calamity." 

After  alluding  to  another  sound  attributed  to  a  bird, 
but  of  which  the  authorship  is  involved  in  uncertainty, 
he  adds : — 

"  Mr  Mitford,  of  the  Ceylon  Civil  Service,  to  whom  I 
am  indebted  for  many  valuable  notes  relative  to  the  birds 
of  the  island,  regards  the  identification  of  the  Singhalese 
Devil-bird  as  open  to  similar  doubt :  he  says,  '  The  Devil- 
bird  is  not  an  owl.  I  never  heard  it  until  I  came  to 
Kornegalle,  where  it  haunts  the  rocky  hill  at  the  back  of 
the  Government-house.  Its  ordinary  note  is  a  magnificent 
clear  shout  like  that  of  a  human  being,  and  which  can 
be  heard  at  a  great  distance,  and  has  a  fine  effect  in  the 
silence  of  the  closing  night.  It  has  another  cry,  like  that 
of  a  hen  just  caught ;  but  the  sounds  which  have  earned 
for  it  its  bad  name,  and  which  I  have  heard  but  once  to 
perfection,  are  indescribable,  the  most  appalling  that 
can  be  imagined,  and  scarcely  to  be  heard  without 
shuddering ;  I  can  only  compare  it  to  a  boy  in  torture, 


TIIE  EAGLE-OWL.  231 

whose  screams  are  being  stopped  by  being  strangled.  I 
have  offered  rewards  for  a  specimen,  but  without  success."  * 
The  resemblance  of  this  description  to  that  given  by 
Wilson  of  the  performances  of  the  great  horned  owl  of 
North  America,  induces  a  suspicion  that  Mr  Mitford  may 
be  in  error,  in  so  confidently  denying  the  Ceylon  bird  to 
be  an  owl.  Wilson  says  of  his  formidable  species, — "  His 
favourite  residence  is  in  the  dark  solitudes  of  deep  swamps, 
covered  with  a  growth  of  gigantic  timber ;  and  here,  as 
soon  as  evening  draws  on,  and  mankind  retire  to  rest,  he 
sends  forth  such  sounds  as  seem  scarcely  to  belong  to  this 
world,  startling  the  solitary  pilgrim  as  he  slumbers  by  his 
forest  fire, 

'  Making  night  hideous.' 

Along  the  mountainous  shores  of  the  Ohio,  and  amidst 
the  deep  forests  of  Indiana,  alone,  and  reposing  in  the 
woods,  this  ghostly  watchman  has  frequently  warned  me 
of  the  approach  of  morning,  and  amused  me  with  his 
singular  exclamations,  sometimes  sweeping  down  and 
around  my  fire,  uttering  a  loud  and  sudden  '  Waugh  0  ! 
Waugh  0 ! '  sufficient  to  have  alarmed  a  whole  garrison. 
He  has  other  nocturnal  solos,  no  less  melodious,  one  of 
which  very  strikingly  resembles  the  half-suppressed  screams 
of  a  person  suffocating,  or  throttled,  and  cannot  fail  of 
being  exceedingly  entertaining  to  a  lonely  benighted 
traveller,  in  the  midst  of  an  Indian  wilderness."  •(• 

I  have  myself  heard  the  startling  call  of  this  fine  night- 
fowl  in  the  Southern  States,  when,  in  penetrating  through 

*  Tennent's  Ceylon,  i,  p.  167.  t  Amer.  OrnithoL,  i.,  p.  100. 


232  THE  WILD. 

the  swamps,  covered  with  gigantic  beeches  and  sycamores, 
entwined  and  tangled  by  the  various  species  of  briers  and 
vines  that  hang  in  festoons  from  the  trees,  and  amidst 
the  evergreen  bushes  of  the  hystrix  fan-palm,  this  "  ghostly 
watchman"  lifts  up  his  hollow  voice  like  a  sentinel 
challenging  the  intruder.  Through  the  afternoon,  and 
especially  as  day  wanes  into  evening,  they  may  be  heard 
from  all  quarters  of  the  swamps  ;  and  in  the  deep  solitude 
and  general  silence  of  these  gloomy  recesses,  the  cry  is 
peculiarly  startling.  "Ho!  oh6!  oh6!  waugh  h5!"  is 
his  call ;  the  last  syllable  uttered  with  particular  earnest- 
ness, and  protracted  for  some  seconds,  and  gradually 
falling.  The  whole  is  given  deliberately,  in  a  loud  and 
hollow  tone ;  and  one  can  scarcely  be  persuaded  that  it 
comes  from  a  bird. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  Guacharo,  an  extraordinary 
bird  inhabiting  a  very  limited  district  in  the  province  of 
Cumana,  South  America,  and  entirely  confined  to  caverns. 
There  is,  however,  so  much  of  romantic  interest  attached 
to  its  habits,  that  we  may  glance  at  a  few  of  the  details 
which  Humboldt  has  given  us  from  his  own  experience. 
On  his  arrival  at  the  valley  of  Caripe,  the  people  all  spoke 
with  superstitious  wonder  of  a  cavern  several  leagues  in 
length,  that  gave  birth  to  a  river,  and  was  haunted  by 
thousands  of  night-birds,  whose  fat  was  used  in  the 
Missions  instead  of  butter. 

Humboldt  made  a  party  to  explore  this  wondrous 
cavern.  After  reaching  the  river  which  flows  out  of  it, 
.they  followed  its  course  upwards  by  a  winding  path,  till 


THE  GUACHARO.  233 

at  length  the  cave  yawned  before  them  in  all  its  grandeur. 
It  is  pierced  in  the  vertical  side  of  a  rock,  forming  a  vault 
upwards  of  eighty  feet  in  width,  and  nearly  the  same  in 
height.  The  face  of  the  rock  is  clad  with  gigantic  trees, 
and  all  the  luxuriant  profusion  of  tropical  vegetation. 
Beautiful  and  curious  parasitic  plants,  ferns  and  orchids, 
and  elegant  creepers  and  lianes,  festooned  the  rugged 
entrance,  hanging  down  in  wild  drapery,  and,  what  is 
remarkable)  this  riant  verdure  penetrated  for  some  distance 
even  into  the  cave.  Humboldt  beheld  with  astonishment 
noble  plantain-like  heliconice  eighteen  feet  high,  palms, 
and  arborescent  arums,  following  the  course  of  the  river 
even  to  the  subterranean  parts.  There  the  vegetation 
continues  as  in  the  deep  crevices  of  the  Andes,  half  shut 
out  from  the  light  of  day,  nor  does  it  disappear  till  a 
distance  of  thirty  or  forty  paces  from  the  entrance.  The 
party  went  forward  for  about  four  hundred  and  thirty 
feet,  without  being  obliged  to  light  their  torches.  Where 
the  light  began  to  fail,  they  heard  from  afar  the  hoarse 
cries  of  the  guacharo  birds.  He  states  that  it  is  difficult 
to  form  an  idea  of  the  horrible  noise  made  by  thousands 
of  these  birds  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  cavern,  whence 
their  shrill  and  piercing  cries  strike  upon  the  vaulted 
rocks,  and  are  repeated  by  the  echo  in  the  depths  of  the 
grotto.  He  observes  that  the  race  of  guacharo  birds 
would  probably  have  been  extinct  long  since,  if  several 
circumstances  had  not  contributed  to  its  preservation. 
The  natives,  withheld  by  superstitious  fears,  seldom  dare 
to  proceed  far  into  the  recesses  of  the  cavern.  Humboldt 


234  THE  WILD. 

had  great  difficulty  in  persuading  them  to  pass  beyond 
the  outer  part  of  the  cave,  the  only  part  of  it  which  they 
visit  annually  to  collect  the  oil ;  and  the  whole  authority 
of  the  Padres  was  necessary  to  make  them  penetrate  as 
far  as  the  spot  where  the  floor  rises  abruptly,  at  an  incli- 
nation of  sixty  degrees,  and  where  a  small  subterraneous 
cascade  is  formed  by  the  torrent.  In  the  minds  of  the 
Indians,  this  cave,  inhabited  by  nocturnal  birds,  is 
associated  with  mystic  ideas,  and  they  believe-  that  in  the 
deep  recesses  of  the  cavern  the  souls  of  their  ancestors 
sojourn.  They  say  that  man  should  avoid  places  which 
are  enlightened  neither  by  the  sun  nor  the  moon  ;  and  to 
"  go  and  join  the  guacharoes,"  means  to  rejoin  their 
fathers — in  bhort,  to  die.  At  the  entrance  of  the  cave, 
the  magicians  and  poisoners  perform  their  exorcisms,  to 
conjure  the  chief  of  the  evil  spirits.* 

The  following  incident,  which  occurred  to  Mr  Atkin- 
son in  his  travels  in  Central  Asia,  is  not  without  a  ro- 
mantic interest : — 

"  Our  course  had  hitherto  been  along  the  middle  of  the 
river,  passing  on  our  way  several  small  islands  which  di- 
vided it  into  different  streams.  The  Cossacks  were  rest- 
ing on  their  oars,  not  a  sound  was  heard,  when  we  glided 
into  a  narrow  channel,  between  a  long  island  and  a  thick 
bed  of  reeds.  Our  canoes  had  not  floated  more  than  fifty 
yards,  when  one  of  the  Cossacks  struck  the  reeds  with  his 
oar,  and  simultaneously  they  all  gave  a  loud  shout.  In  a 
moment  there  came  a  shriek,  as  if  a  legion  of  fiends  had 

*  Personal  Nairative. 


ASSAULT  OF  A  CUTTLE.  235 

been  cast  loose,  which  was  followed  by  a  rushing  sound 
and  a  flapping  of  wings  on  every  side,  rising  high  into 
mid-air  :  then  the  wild  concert  was  taken  up  and  repeated 
far  above  us.  We  had  come  suddenly  on  the  covert  of 
thousands  of  water-fowl.  After  this  uproar  the  Cossacks 
pulled  out  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  passed 
quickly  along  through  some  beautiful  scenery."  * 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  poulpes  and  cuttles  of 
our  coasts  will  readily  allow  that  there  is  something  more 
than  usually  repulsive  in  their  appearance.  Their  flabby, 
corpse-like  fleshiness,  now  lax  and  soft,  now  plumping  up, 
their  changes  of  colour,  the  livid  hue  that  comes  and  goes 
so  strangely,  the  long  lithe  arms  with  their  cold  adhesive 
powers,  their  uncouth  agility,  their  cunning  adroitness 
and  intelligence,  and  especially  the  look  of  their  ghastly 
green  eyes,  make  them  decidedly  "  no  canny."  It  does 
not  need  that  they  should  be  sufficiently  colossal  in  dimen- 
sions to  throw  their  arms  over  a  ship's  hull  and  drag  her 
under  water,  as  oriental  tales  pretend,  and  as  old-fashioned 
naturalists  believed,  to  induce  us  to  give  them  a  wide 
berth.  It  would  not  be  pleasant  to  be  entwined  in  the 
embrace  of  those  arms  ;  and  we  can  sympathise  with  Mr 
Beale,  who  has  described  his  feelings  during  an  encounter 
which  he  had  with  a  beastie  of  this  sort,  while  engaged  in 
searching  for  shells  among  the  rocks  of  the  Bonin  Islands. 
He  was  much  astonished  at  seeing  at  his  feet  a  most  ex- 
traordinary-looking animal,  crawling  towards  the  surf, 
which  it  had  only  just  left.  It  was  creeping  on  its  eight 
*  Atkinson's  Siberia,  p.  228. 


236  THE  WILD. 

legs,,  which,  from  their  soft  and  flexible  nature,  bent  con- 
siderably under  the  weight  of  its  body,  so  that  it  was 
lifted  by  the  efforts  of  its  tentacula  only  a  small  distance 
from  the  rocks.  It  appeared  much  alarmed  at  seeing 
him,  and  made  every  effort  to  escape.  Mr  Beale  endea- 
voured to  stop  it  by  pressing  on  one  of  its  legs  with  his 
foot ;  but,  although  he  used  considerable  force  for  that 
purpose,  its  strength  was  so  great  that  it  several  times 
liberated  its  member,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  he  could 
employ  on  the  wet  and  slippery  rocks.  He  then  laid 
hold  of  one  of  the  tentacles  with  his  hand,  and  held  it 
firmly,  so  that  it  appeared  as  if  the  limb  would  be  torn 
asunder  by  the  united  efforts  of  himself  and  the  creature. 
He  then  gave  it  a  powerful  jerk,  wishing  to  disentangle 
it  from  the  rocks  to  which  it  clung  so  forcibly  by  its 
suckers.  This  effort  it  effectually  resisted ;  but,  the 
moment  after,  the  apparently  enraged  animal  lifted  its 
head,  with  its  large  projecting  eyes,  and,  loosing  its  hold 
of  the  rocks,  suddenly  sprang  upon  Mr  Beale's  arm, 
(which  he  had  previously  bared  to  the  shoulder  for  the 
purpose  of  thrusting  it  into  holes  in  the  rocks  after  shells,) 
and  clung  to  it  by  means  of  its  suckers  with  great  power, 
endeavouring  to  get  its  beak,  which  could  now  be  seen 
between  the  roots  of  its  arms,  in  a  position  to  bite.  A 
sensation  of  horror  pervaded  his  whole  frame,  when  he 
found  that  this  monstrous  animal  had  fixed  itself  so 
firmly  on  his  arm.  He  describes  its  cold,  slimy  grasp  as 
extremely  sickening ;  and  he  loudly  called  to  the  captain, 
who  was  similarly  engaged  at  some  distance,  to  come  and 
release  him  of  his  disgusting  assailant.  The  captain 


HOWLING-MONKEYS — PRAIRIE-  WOLVES.  237 

quickly  came,  and,  taking  him  down  to  the  boat,  during 
which  time  Mr  Beale  was  employed  in  keeping  the  beak 
of  the  Octopus  away  from  his  hand,  soon  released  him 
by  destroying  his  tormentor  with  the  boat-knife,  when  he 
disengaged  it  by  portions  at  a  time.  This  Cephalopod 
measured  across  its  expanded  arms  about  four  feet,  while 
its  body  was  not  bigger  than  a  man's  fist* 

The  shriek  of  the  jackal  bursting  on  the  ear  in  the 
silence  of  night  has  been  described  by  many  a  dweller  in 
tents  in  the  East  as  a  most  appalling  sound.  But  per- 
haps this  yields  in  effect  to  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
howling-monkeys  in  a  South  American  forest.  This  most 
striking  of  all  animal  voices  is  heard  occasionally  at 
sunrise  and  sunset,  and  sometimes  in  the  heat  of  the  day, 
but  more  frequently  during  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
When  near,  the  roar  is  terrific :  a  naturalist  f  has  com- 
pared it  to  the  tempest  howling  through  rocky  caverns. 
It  is  a  noise  so  unearthly,  that,  heard  unexpectedly  for  the 
first  time,  it  would  fill  the  mind  with  the  most  melan- 
choly and  fearful  forebodings. 

A  traveller  in  the  western  wilds  of  North  America 
bivouacking  on  the  open  prairie,  awakened  at  midnight 
by  the  voices  of  a  pack  of  prairie-wolves  giving  tongue 
around  him,  speaks  of  the  wierd  impression  made  on  him 
by  hearing  a  pack  in  full  cry  at  the  dead  of  the  night, 
and  compares  it  to  the  phantom  hounds  and  huntsman  of 
the  German  legends.J 

What  was  this,  however,  to  Gordon  Cumming's  noctur- 

*  Hist,  of  the  Sperm  Whale.       t  Mr  Bates,  in  the  Zoologist,  p.  359& 
J  Sullivan's  Gambles  in  America,  p.  77. 


238  THE  WILD. 

nal  adventure  with  the  wilde  Iwnden  in  Africa?  He  was 
watching  for  game  in  a  hole  which  he  had  dug  by  a  pool 
in  that  romantic  fashion  already  alluded  to,  and,  having 
shot  a  gnu,  had  put  down  his  rifle  without  reloading  ifc, 
arid  dropped  asleep. 

He  had  not  slept  long  before  his  slumbers  were  dis- 
turbed by  strange  sounds.  He  dreamed  that  lions  were 
rushing  about  in  quest  of  him,  till,  the  sounds  increasing, 
he  awoke  with  a  sudden  start,  uttering  a  loud  shriek.  He 
heard  the  rushing  of  light  feet  on  every  side,  accompanied 
by  the  most  unearthly  noises,  and,  on  raising  his  head,  to 
his  utter  horror,  saw  himself  surrounded  by  troops  of  what 
the  colonists  call  wild  dogs,  a  savage  animal  between  a 
wolf  and  a  hyena.  To  the  right  and  left,  and  within  a  few 
paces  of  the  bold  hunter,  stood  two  lines  of  these  ferocious- 
looking  animals,  cocking  their  ears  and  stretching  their 
necks  to  have  a  look  at  him ;  while  two  large  troops,  con- 
taining forty  at  least,  kept  dashing  backwards  and  for- 
wards across  his  wind,  chattering  and  growling  with  the 
most  extraordinary  volubility.  Another  troop  of  the  wild 
dogs  were  fighting  over  the  gnu  that  had  been  shot ;  and, 
on  beholding  them,  the  expectation  of  being  himself  pre- 
sently torn  in  pieces  made  the  blood  curdle  over  his 
cheeks,  and  the  hair  bristle  on  his  head. 

In  this  dilemma  the  experienced  hunter  bethought 
himself  of  the  power  of  the  human  voice  and  a  deter- 
mined bearing  in  overawing  brute  animals ;  and,  spring- 
ing to  his  feet,  he  stepped  upon  the  little  ledge  surround- 
ing the  hole,  when  drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 


WILD- DOGS.  239 

he  waved  his  large  blanket  with  both  hands,  at  the  same 
time  addressing  his  certainly  attentive  audience  in  a  loud 
and  solemn  tone.  This  had  the  desired  effect :  the  wild 
dogs  shrank  to  a  more  respectful  dk-ance,  barking  at  him 
like  so  many  colleys.  Upon  this  he  began  to  load  his 
rifle,  and  before  this  was  accomplished  the  entire  pack  had 
retreated.* 

*   The  Lion  Hunter,  chap.  is. 


THE  TERRIBLE. 

MAN'S  connexion  with  the  creation  around  him  occa- 
sionally brings  him  into  circumstances  of  more  serious 
result  than  a  temporary  excitement  of  the  imagination, 
and  a  thrilling  of  the  nerves,  which  might  be  on  the 
whole  rather  pleasant  than  otherwise.  He  was  indeed 
invested  with  lordship  over  the  inferior  creatures,  and  in 
general  they  own  his  dominion  ;  but  many  of  them  are 
endowed  with  powers  for  evil,  to  which  he  can  oppose  no 
effectual  resistance ;  at  least,  none  so  invariably  effectual, 
but  that  occasions  occur  in  which  the  mastery  is  reversed. 
Some  are  furnished  with  enormous  weight  and  strength, 
able  to  crush  him  with  mere  brute  momentum  ;  others 
carry  formidable  weapons,  horns  and  hoofs,  claws  and 
teeth,  tusks  and  fangs,  wielded  with  consummate  skill, 
and  made  more  effective  by  the  aid  of  muscular  strength, 
fleetness  of  pace,  agility,  instinct  of  combination,  or  cun- 
ning strategy.  Others,  small  and  apparently  contemptible, 
are  yet  armed  with  implements  so  terribly  lethal,  that 
the  slightest  puncture  of  the  skin  by  one  of  them,  darted 
too  with  lightning-like  rapidity  and  almost  unerring  pre- 
cision, is  inevitably  and  immediately  followed  by  the  most 
horrid  form  of  death. 


THE  WOLF.  241 

And  the  creatures  are  conscious  of  their  own  powers ; 
and,  though  they  will  often  tacitly  own  man's  supremacy 
by  declining  a  contest  with  him,  yet  there  are  circum- 
stances ever  and  anon  occurring, — hunger  sometimes,  some- 
times rage,  or  the  desperation  induced  by  escape  being 
cut  off,  or  the  aropjrj  which  makes  the  helpless  bold,- — in 
which  they  are  willing  to  try  "  the  wager  of  battle  "  with 
their  liege. 

The  stern  conflict  for  life,  when  man  stands  face  to 
face  with  his  bestial  foes,  has  given  many  a  romantic  page 
to  the  annals  of  natural  history ;  and  too  many  such 
pages  are  stained  with  the  harrowing  record  of  their 
grim  victory,  and  his  bloody  death.  We  cannot  therefore 
ignore  them  in  the  aspect  of  natural  science  which  we 
are  considering ;  but  we  may  content  ourselves  with  a  few 
examples  of  the  terrible :  the  difficulty  lies  in  the  selec- 
v'on  from  the  profusion  of  materiel. 

Throughout  the  north  temperate  zone  the  wolf  is  a 
cruc  1  and  bloodthirsty  foe  of  man,  making  up  by  a  scent 
like  that  of  the  hound,  a  patient  perseverance,  and  a 
habit  of  combining  in  numbers  in  common  pursuit,  what 
it  lacks  in  individual  power.  Yet,  individually,  a  wolf  is 
able  to  pull  down  an  unarmed  man,  and,  when  pressed 
with  famine  in  severe  winters,  it  becomes  very  darin.u. 
In  our  own  island  its  ravages  have  long  ago  induced  its 
extirpation  ;  but  in  a  remote  era  houses  were  erected  at 
certain  intervals  by  the  road-sides,  to  serve  as  places  of 
refuge  against  the  assaults  of  the  wolves ;  and  January 
was  by  our  Anglo-Saxon  ancestors  called,  "  Wolf-inouat," 

Q 


242  THE  TEKKILLE. 

(Wolf-month,)  because  more  people  were  devoured  by 
wolves  in  that  month  than  at  other  times. 

In  the  north  and  east  of  Europe,  the  danger  incurred 
by  travellers  in  sledges  of  being  hunted  by  packs  of 
hungry  wolves  is  very  great ;  and  many  dreadful  incidents 
bear  witness  to  their  success.  A  very  horrible  one  is 
narrated  by  Mr  Lloyd.  A  woman  accompanied  by  three 
of  her  children  was  one  day  travelling  in  this  mode,  when 
she  discovered  that  she  was  pursued  by  these  gaunt  foes 
in  full  pack.  She  immediately  put  the  horse  into  a 
gallop,  and  drove  towards  her  home,  from  which  she  was 
not  far  distant,  with  all  possible  speed.  All,  however, 
would  not  avail,  for  the  ferocious  animals  gained  upon 
her,  and  at  last  were  on  the  point  of  rushing  on  the 
sledge.  For  the  preservation  of  her  own  life,  and  that 
of  the  remaining  children,  the  poo-r  frantic  creature  now 
took  one  of  the  babes  and  cast  it  a  prey  to  her  blood- 
thirsty pursuers.  This  stopped  their  career  for  a  moment, 
but,  after  devouring  the  little  innocent,  they  renewed 
their  pursuit,  and  a  second  time  came  up  with  the  vehicle. 
The  mother,  driven  to  desperation,  resorted  to  the  same 
horrible  expedient,  and  threw  her  ferocious  assailants 
another  of  her  offspring.  To  cut  short  this  melancholy 
story,  her  third  child  was  sacrificed  in  a  similar  manner. 
Soon  after  this  the  wretched  being,  whose  feelings  may 
more  easily  be  conceived  than  described,  reached  her 
home  in  safety. 

Mr  Atkinson  has  sketched,*  with  his  usual  graphic 

*  Siberia,  p.  4G1. 


NIGHT  ASSAULT  OF  WOLVES.  243 

vigour,  the  situation  of  himself  and  his  party  of  Kalmucks, 
when  surrounded  by  wolves  in  Mongolia.  They  were  en- 
camped for  the  night  on  the  open  steppe  on  the  banks  of 
a  little  lake,  when  suddenly  the  howling  of  the  terrible 
wolves  was  heard  at  a  distance.  The  men  quickly  col- 
lected the  horses,  and  prepared  to  receive  the  assailants. 
The  fire  was  nearly  out,  but  it  was  thought  best  to  allow 
them  to  approach,  and  then  by  a  little  fresh  fuel  obtain 
light  enough  for  a  fair  shot.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
padding  of  their  many  feet  was  heard  as  they  galloped 
towards  the  party,  and  presently  a  savage  howl  arose. 
The  men  threw  some  dry  bushes  on  the  embers,  and 
blew  up  a  bright  flame,  which  sent  its  red  glare  far 
around,  disclosing  the  pack  with  ears  and  tails  erect,  and 
flashing  eyes.  At  a  signal,  five  rifles  and  a  double-barrel 
poured  in  a  volley  with  deadly  effect,  as  the  horrible 
howling  revealed.  Snarling  and  shrieking,  the  pack  drew 
off,  but  the  Kalmucks  declared  they  would  return. 

Soon  the  terror  of  the  horses  announced  the  re-approach 
of  the  marauders,  and  they  could  be  heard  stealing  round 
between  the  encampment  and  the  lake,  dividing  into  two 
packs,  so  as  to  approach  on  opposite  sides.  Presently 
the  glare  of  their  eyeballs  was  seen,  and  thair  grizzly 
forms  pushing  one  another  on.  Again  the  bullets  sped, 
and  the  shrieking  packs  again  retreated,  but  only  to  keep 
watch  at  a  little  distance. 

The  night  now  grew  very  dark,  and  all  the  fuel  was 
exhausted.  Presently,  a  distant  howling  announced  the 
approach  of  a  new  pack,  on  whose  arrival  the  old  ones, 


244  THE  TEEEIBLE. 

which  had  been  silently  biding  their  time,  began  to  mani- 
fest their  presence  by  jealous  growls,  which  soon  gave 
way  to  a  general  fight  among  themselves.  Some  of  the 
men  now,  well  armed,  crept  along  the  margin  of  the  lake 
to  collect  more  fuel,  which  was  then  placed  on  the  fire. 
The  flame  was  blown  up,  and  a  group  of  eight  or  ten 
wolves  wras  seen  within  fifteen  paces,  with  others  beyond. 
The  rifles  once  more  cracked,  and  the  packs  with  a  fright- 
ful howl  scampered  off 

In  the  morning  eight  wolves  were  lying  dead,  and  the 
bloody  tracks  shewed  that  many  others  had  carried  away 
mortal  wounds,  the  reminiscences  of  this  fearful  night. 

The  brown  bear  of  Europe  is  of  formidable  strength,  and 
sufficiently  bold  occasionally  to  be  a  serious  antagonist,  as 
numerous  adventures  of  Mr  Lloyd  and  other  northern 
sportsmen  testify.  Though  it  can  subsist  on  fruits,  grain, 
and  honey,  which  involve  no  destruction  of  animal  life, 
yet  it  is  predaceous  and  ferocious  too.  The  ancient 
Romans  made  use  of  Scottish  bears  to  augment  the  horrors 
of  public  executions  : — 

"  Nuda  Caledonio  sic  pectora  prssbuit  urso, 
Non  falsa  pendens  in  cruce,  Laureolus." 

The  ferocity  of  the  Syrian  bear  is  illustrated  by  many 
passages  of  Sacred  Writ,  and  in  particular  by  the  narra- 
tive which  records  the  slaughter  of  the  forty-two  youths, 
who  mocked  Elisha,  by  two  she-bears.*  And  the  Polar 
bear  is  a  truly  savage  and  powerful  animal. 

But  no  species  of  the  genus  can  compare  with  the 
*  2  Kings  ii.  24. 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  GRIZZLY  BEAK.  245 

grizzly  bear  of  the  North  American  prairies,  for  either 
size,  strength,  or  ferocity.  The  names  of  Ursus  ferox  and 
V.  horribilis,  which  have  been  given  to  it,  re-echo  the 
prevailing  ideas  of  its  terrible  character.  Even  the  savage 
bison,  vast  and  mighty  as  he  is,  falls  a  prey  to  the  grizzly 
bear,  which  can  drag  the  carcase,  though  a  thousand 
pounds  in  weight,  to  its  haunt.  Lewis  and  Clarke  measured 
one  which  was  nine  feet  in  length. 

The  hunters  and  trappers  of  the  Eocky  Mountains 
delight  to  tell,  over  their  camp  fires,  stories  of  personal 
encounters  with  this  formidable  savage.  Many  of  these 
stirring  incidents  have  found  their  way  into  print,  and 
one  of  them  I  shall  here  condense. 

A  Canadian  named  Villandrie,  pursuing  his  occupation 
of  a  free  trapper  on  the  Yellow-stone  Eiver,  had  acquired 
by  his  skill  and  daring  the  reputation  of  the  best  white 
hunter  in  the  region.  One  morning,  when  he  was  riding 
out  to  have  a  look  at  his  beaver  traps,  he  had  to  break 
his  way  through  some  thick  bushes  that  grew  on  a  high 
bank  above  a  small  river.  He  was  going  along,  pushing 
back  the  twigs  with  the  barrel  of  his  rifle,  and  keeping 
an  eye  on  the  bank,  when  all  at  once  he  found  himself 
close  §to  an  old  she  grizzly  bear,  which  rose  instantly  and 
dashed  furiously  at  the  horse,  as  he  was  struggling  with 
the  shrubs  and  bushes.  One  blow  of  her  colossal  paw 
was  enough  to  break  his  back,  and  to  throw  Villandrie 
down  the  bank,  his  rifle  falling  into  the  water.  Three 
half-grown  cubs  now  occupied  themselves  with  the  poor 
struggling  horse,  while  the  raging  mother  rushed  towards 


246  THE  TEEKTBLE. 

the  trapper,  who  was  just  getting  up ;  but  before  he  had 
well  drawn  his  long  knife,  the  bear's  claws  were  on  his 
left  arm  and  shoulder.  His  right  arm  he  could  still  move 
freely,  and  he  inflicted  stab  after  stab  in  the  neck  of  his 
fierce  enemy,  which  did  not  on  that  account  relax  her 
gripe,  but  tried  to  catch  the  knife  with  her  teeth.  At 
every  movement  he  made,  she  seemed  to  dig  deeper  into 
his  shoulder  and  loins. 

The  struggle  had  not  lasted  a  minute,  when  the  sandy 
bank  suddenly  gave  way,  and  down  the  combatants  went 
into  the  water.  Fortunately  for  Villandrie,  the  sudden 
cold  bath  made  the  bear  loose  her  hold :  she  returned  to 
her  cubs,  and  left  her  mangled  antagonist  to  get  away  as 
well  as  he  could.  The  next  day  he  reached  a  Sioux 
village,  very  much  exhausted  from  loss  of  blood;  but 
he  got  his  wounds  tolerably  healed,  and  still  maintained 
his  character  of  the  best  white  trapper  on  the  Yellow- 
stone.* 

Recent  travellers  in  Africa  have  made  us  somewhat 
familiar  with  the  mighty  and  ferocious  brutes  of  that 
arid  continent,  the  very  metropolis  of  bestial  power.  Not 
only  have  the  missionary,  the  colonist,  and  the  soldier 
encountered  the  lordly  animals  in  their  progress  into  the 
willerness,  but  hunters,  either  for  sport  or  profit,  have 
gone  in  search  of  them,  bearded  the  lion  by  his  midnight 
fountain,  and  provoked  the  elephant  to  single  combat  in 
his  forest  fastnesses.  Fearful  adventures  have  hence 
ensued,  the  records  of  which  have  thrilled  us  dwellers  at 

*  Mollhauseii's  Journey  to  the  Pacific,  i.,  p.  103. 


TERRORS  OF  ELEPHANT-HUNTING.  247 

home  by  our  winter  firesides.  One  or  two  of  these  I  may 
select  for  illustration  of  the  terrible  in  natural  history. 

Nothing  is  more  appalling  in  the  way  of  animal  voices 
than  the  scream,  or  "  trumpeting/'  as  it  is  called,  of  an 
enraged  elephant.  The  hunting  of  this  animal  in  South 
Africa  is  awful  work.  To  stand  in  front  of  a  creature 
twelve  feet  high,  infuriated  to  the  utmost,  to  hear  his 
shriek  of  rage,  to  see  him  come  crashing  on  with  an 
impetus  that  throws  the  very  trees  out  of  the  ground, 
needs  all  the  nerve  and  all  the  courage  that  man  can 
bring  to  the  conflict.  Livingstone  says  that  the  terrible 
"trumpet"  is  more  like  what  the  shriek  of  a  French 
steam-whistle  would  be  to  a  man  standing  on  a  railway, 
than  any  other  earthly  sound.  So  confounding  is  it,  that 
a  horse  unused  to  the  chase  will  sometimes  stand  shiver- 
ing, and  unable  to  move,  instead  of  galloping  from  the 
peril.  Gordon  Gumming  has  depicted  a  stirring  scene, 
in  which,  having  dismounted  to  fire  at  an  elephant,  he 
was  immediately  charged  by  another ;  his  horse,  terrified 
by  being  thus  placed  between  two  enraged  monsters, 
refused  to  be  mounted  ;  and  it  was  only  when  he  expected 
to  feel  a  trunk  clasping  his  body,  that  he  managed  to 
spring  into  the  saddle. 

Even  when  mounted,  the  legs  of  the  steed  will  some- 
times fail  from  terror,  and  he  falls  with  his  rider ;  or, 
from  the  character  of  the  forest,  the  latter  may  be  dragged 
from  his  seat  during  the  flight,  and  thus  be  left  helpless 
before  the  furious  beast,  exposed  to  be  inpaled  by  the  long 
tusks,  or  crushed  into  a  mummy  by  the  enormous  feet. 


21-8  THE  TERRIBLE. 

An  adventure  of  this  sort  with  an  elephant  befel  one 
who  has  had  more  narrow  escapes  than  any  man  living, 
but  whose  modesty  has  always  prevented  him  from  pub- 
lishing anything  about  himself.  On  the  bnnks  of  the 
Zouga,  in  1 850,  Mr  Oswell  pursued  one  of  these  animals 
into  the  dense,  thick,  thorny  bushes  met  with  on  the 
margin  of  that  river,  and  to  which  the  elephant  usually 
flees  for  safety.  He  followed  through  a  narrow  pathway, 
by  lifting  up  some  of  the  branches  and  forcing  his  way 
through  the  rest ;  but  when  he  had  just  got  over  this 
difficulty,  he  saw  the  elephant,  whose  tail  he  had  got 
glimpses  of  before,  now  rushing  towards  him.  There  was 
then  no  time  to  lift  up  branches,  so  he  tried  to  force  the 
horse  through  them.  He  could  not  effect  a  passage  ;  and, 
as  there  was  but  an  instant  between  the  attempt  and 
failure,  the  hunter  tried  to  dismount ;  but,  in  doing  this, 
one  foot  was  caught  by  a  branch,  and  the  spur  drawn 
along  the  animal's  flank ;  this  made  him  spring  away 
and  throw  the  rider  on  the  ground,  with  his  face  to  the 
elephant,  which  being  in  full  chase,  still  went  on.  Mr 
Oswell  saw  the  huge  fore-foot  ab  )ut  to  descend  on  his 
legs,  parted  them,  and  drew  in  his  breath  as  if  to  resist 
the  pressure  of  the  other  foot,  which  he  expected  would 
next  descend  on  his  body.  He  saw  the  whole  length  of 
the  under  part  of  the  enormous  brute  pass  over  him  ;  the 
horse  got  away  safely.  Dr  Livingstone,  who  records  the 
anecdote,  has  heard  but  of  one  other  authentic  instance 
in  which  an  elephant  went  over  a  man  without  injury; 
and,  for  any  one  who  knows  the  nature  of  the  bush  in 


FATAL  ENCOUNTER  WITH  AN  ELEPHANT.  2-M) 

winch  this  occurred,  the  very  thought  of  an  encounter  in 
it  with  such  a  foe  is  appalling.  As  the  thorns  are  placed 
in  pairs  on  opposite  sides  of  the  branches,  and  these  turn 
round  on  being  pressed  against,  one  pair  brings  the  other 
exactly  into  the  position  in  which  it  must  pierce  the 
intruder.  They  cut  like  knives.  Horses  dread  this  bush 
extremely  ;  indeed,  most  of  them  refuse  to  face  its  thorns.* 
Occasionally,  however,  the  elephant-hunter  falls  a 
victim  to  his  daring.  A  young  and  successful  ivory- 
hunter,  named  Thackwray,  after  numberless  hair-breadth 
escapes,  at  length  lost  his  life  in  the  pursuit.  On  one 
occasion,  a  herd  pursued  him  to  the  edge  of  a  frightful 
precipice,  where  his  only  chance  of  safety  consisted  in 
dropping  down  to  a  ledge  of  rock  at  some  distance  below. 
Scarcely  was  he  down  before  one  of  the  elephants  was 
seen  above,  endeavouring  to  reach  him  with  its  trunk. 
The  hunter  could  easily  have  shot  the  brute  while  thus 
engaged,  but  was  deterred  by  the  fear  of  the  huge  car- 
case falling  down  on  him,  which  would  have  been  certain 
destruction.  He  escaped  this  danger,  but  soon  afterwards, 
almost  at  the  very  same  spot,  he  met  the  fatal  rencontre. 
With  one  attendant  Hottentot,  Thackwray  had  engaged  a 
herd  of  elephants,  one  of  which  he  had  wounded.  The 
Hottentot,  seeing  it  fall,  supposed  that  it  was  dead,  and 
approached  it,  when  the  animal  rose  and  charged  furiously. 
The  lad  threw  himself  upon  the  ground,  and  the  infuriated 
beast  passed  without  noticing  him,  tearing  up  the  trees 
and  scattering  them  in  its  blind  rage  ;  but,  rushing  into 

*  Livingstone's  South  Africa,  p.  580. 


250  THE  TERRIBLE. 

a  thicket  where  Thackwray  was  reloading  his  rifle,  it 
caught  sight  of  him,  and  in  an  instant  hurled  him  to  the 
earth,  thrusting  one  of  its  tusks  through  his  thigh.  It 
then  caught  the  wretched  man  in  its  trunk,  and  elevating 
him  in  the  air,  dashed  him  with  great  force  upon  the 
ground,  kneeling  and  trampling  upon  him,  and  as  it  were 
kneading  his  crushed  and  flattened  corpse  into  the  dust, 
with  an  implacable  fury.  The  remains,  when  discovered, 
presented  a  most  appalling  spectacle."  *  More  recently, 
another  ivory-hunter,  named  Wahlberg,  met  a  fate  almost 
precisely  parallel. 

Little  inferior  to  the  elephant  in  strength,  though  by  no 
means  approaching  it  in  sagacity,  the  different  species  of 
African  rhinoceros  manifest  an  irascibility  against  man 
which  waits  not  for  provocation  ;  or  rather  the  sight  of  a 
man  is  itself  a  sufficient  provocation  to  excite  a  paroxysm  of 
restless  fury.  Steedman  f  mentions  a  Hottentot  who  had 
acquired  a  reputation  as  a  bold  elephant-huater,  who  on 
one  occasion  had  had  his  horse  killed  und»?r  him  by  a 
rhinoceros.  Before  he  could  raise  his  gun,  the  enormous 
beast  rushed  upon  him,  thrust  its  sharp-point  ad  horn  into 
the  horse's  chest,  and  threw  him  bodily,  rider  and  all, 
over  its  back.  The  savage  animal  then,  a;  if  satisfied, 
went  off,  without  following  up  its  victory,  aj  d  before  the 
Hottentot  could  recover  himself  sufficiently  J  jr  an  aveng- 
ing shot. 

Mr  Oswell  met  with  a  similar  rencontre,  ile  was  once 
stalking  two  of  these  beasts,  and,  as  they  ci  ^e  slowly  to 

*  Stoedman's  Wanderings,  p.  74.  f  Ibk?     .    p.  69. 


RHINOCEROS  AND  BUFFALO.  251 

him,  he,  knowing  that  there  is  but  little  chance  of  hitting 
the  small  brain  of  this  animal  by  a  shot  in  the  head,  lay, 
expecting  one  of  them  to  give  his  shoulder,  till  he 
was  within  a  few  yards.  The  hunter  then  thought 
that  by  making  a  rush  to  his  side  he  might  succeed  in 
escaping ;  but  the  rhinoceros,  too  quick  for  that,  turned 
upon  him,  and  though  he  discharged  his  gun  close  to  the 
animal's  head  he  was  tossed  in  the  air.  "  My  friend/'  adds 
Dr  Livingstone,  who  gives  the  account,  "  was  insensible  for 
some  time,  and  on  recovering  found  large  wounds  on  the 
thigh  and  body.  I  saw  that  on  the  former  part,  still  open, 
and  five  inches  long."  The  white  species,  though  less 
savage  than  the  black,  is  not  always  quite  safe,  for  one, 
even  after  it  was  mortally  wounded,  attacked  Mr  Oswell's 
horse,  and  thrust  the  horn  through  to  the  saddle,  tossing 
at  the  same  time  both  horse  and  rider.* 

The  buffalo  of  the  same  regions  is  another  animal 
of  remarkable  savageness  of  disposition,  making  an  en- 
counter with  him  a  formidable  affair.  The  eminent 
Swedish  botanist,  Thunberg,  was  collecting  plants  in  a 
wood  with  two  companions,  when  a  buffalo  bull  rushed  on 
the  party  with  a  deafening  roar.  The  men  just  saved  their 
lives  by  springing  into  the  trees,  while  two  horses  were 
speedily  pierced  through  by  the  powerful  horns,  and  killed. 

Captain  Methuen  has  given  us  the  following  graphic 
account  of  an  en  counter  /with  this  most  vicious  herbivore, 
which  the  Cape  colonists  consider  a  more  dangerous  foe 
than  the  lion  himself.  The  gallant  captain  and  his  party 

*  Livingstone's  Travels  in  Africa,  p.  611. 


252  THE  TEBEIBLE. 

had  discovered  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  and  had  wounded 
some,  but  they  had  escaped  to  cover.  He  had  climbed  on 
the  low  boughs  of  a  small  wait-a-Ut  thorn,  whence  he 
struck  another  bull.  The  wounded  animal  "  ran  towards 
the  report,  his  ears  outstretched,  his  eyes  moving  in  all 
directions,  and  his  nose  carried  in  a  right  line  with  the 
head,  evidently  bent  on  revenge  ; — he  passed  within  thirty 
yards  of  me,  and  was  lost  in  the  bush.  Descending  from 
my  frail  perch,  Frolic  [the  Hottentot  attendant]  again  dis- 
covered this  buffalo  standing  amongst  some  small  thick 
bushes,  which  nearly  hid  him  .from  view;  his  head  was 
lowered,  not  a  muscle  of  his  body  moved,  and  he  was 
without  doubt  listening  intently.  We  crept  noiselessly 
to  a  bush,  and  I  again  fired.  The  huge  brute  ran  for- 
wards up  the  wind,  fortunately  not  in  our  direction,  and 
stood  still  again.  No  good  screen  being  near,  and  his 
nose  facing  our  way,  prudence  bade  us  wait  patiently  for 
a  change  in  the  state  of  affairs.  Presently  he  lay  gently 
down,  and  knowing  that  buffaloes  are  exceedingly  cun- 
ning, and  will  adopt  this  plan  merely  to  escape  notice  and 
entrap  their  persecutors,  we  drew  near  with  great  caution. 
I  again  fired  through  his  shoulder,  and  concluding  from 
his  not  attempting  to  rise,  that  he  was  helpless,  we  walked 
close  up  to  him  ;  and  never  can  the  scene  which  followed 
be  erased  from  my  memory.  Turning  his  ponderous 
head  round,  his  eye  caught  our  figures ;  I  fired  the  second 
barrel  of  my  rifle  behind  his  horns,  but  it  did  not  reach 
the  brain.  His  wounds  gave  him  some  difficulty  in  getting 
up,  which  just  afforded  Moneypemiy  and  myself  time  to 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  BUFFALO.         253 

ensconce  ourselves  behind  the  slender  shrubs  that  grew 
round  the  spot,  while  Frolic  unwisely  took  to  his  heels. 
The  buffalo  saw  him,  and  uttering  a  continued  unearthly 
noise,  between  a  grunt  and  a  bellow,  advanced  at  a  pace 
at  which  these  unwieldy  creatures  are  rarely  seen  to  run, 
unless  stirred  by  revenge. 

"  Crashing  through  the  low  bushes,  as  if  they  were 
stubble,  he  passed  me,  but  charged  quite  over  Money- 
penny's  lurking-place,  who  aimed  at  him  as  he  came  on, 
and  lodged  the  ball  in  the  rocky  mass  of  horn  above 
his  head :  the  buffalo  was  so  near  at  the  time  of  his 
firing,  that  the  horn  struck  the  gun-barrels  at  the  next 
instant ;  but  whether  the  noise  and  smoke  confused  the 
animal,  or  he  was  partially  stunned  by  the  bullet,  he 
missed  my  friend,  and  continued  his  pursuit  of  Frolic. 

"  The  Hottentot  dodged  the  enraged  and  terrific-looking 
brute  round  the  bushes,  but  through  these  slight  obstacles 
he  dashed  with  ease,  and  gained  ground  rapidly,  Speech- 
less, we  watched  the  chase,  and,  in  the  awful  moment, 
regardless  of  concealment,  stood  up,  and  saw  the  buffalo 
overtake  his  victim  and  knock  him  down.  At  this  crisis, 
my  friend  fired  his  second  barrel  into  the  beast,  which 
gave  Frolic  one  or  two  blows  with  his  fore-feet,  and  push- 
ing his  nose  under,  endeavoured  to  toss  him ;  but  the 
Hottentot,  aware  of  this,  lay  with  much  presence  of  mind 
perfectly  still. 

"  Moneypenny  now  shouted  to  me,  '  The  buffalo  is  com- 
ing ; '  and,  in  darting  round  a  bush,  I  stumbled  on  my  rifle, 
cutting  my  knee  very  badly.  This  proved  a  false  alarm  ; 


25  4<  THE  TEEEIBLE. 

and  directly  after  the  buffalo  fell  dead  by  Frolic,  who 
then  rose  and  limped  towards  us.  He  was  much  hurt, 
and  a  powder-flask  which  lay  in  his  game-bag  was 
stamped  flat.  The  buffalo  was  too  weak  to  use  his  full 
strength  upon  him,  having  probably  exhausted  all  his 
remaining  energy  in  the  chase  :  otherwise  the  Hottentot 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  killed,  since  a  man  is 
safer  under  the  paws  of  a  wounded  lion,  than  under  the 
head  of  an  infuriated  buffalo.  Never  did  I  feel  more 
grateful  to  a  protecting  Providence,  than  when  this  poor 
fellow  came  to  us ;  for  his  escape  without  material  injury 
was  little  short  of  miraculous."  * 

Who,  that  has  looked  on  the  meek,  deer-like  face  of  a 
kangaroo,  would  imagine  th  it  any  danger  could  attend  a 
combat  with  so  gentle  a  creature  ?  Yet  it  is  well  known 
that  strong  dogs  are  often  killed  by  it,  the  kangaroo  seiz  - 
ing  and  hugging  the  dog  with  its  fore-paws,  while  with 
one  kick  of  its  muscular  hind-leg,  it  rips  up  its  antagonist, 
and  tears  out  its  bowels.  Even  to  man  there  is  peril,  as 
appears  from  the  following  narrative.  One  of  the  hunter's 
dogs  had  been  thus  despatched,  and  he  thus  proceeds : — 

"  Exasperated  by  the  irreparable  loss  of  my  poor  dog, 
and  excited  by  the  then  unusual  scene  before  me,  I 
hastened  to  revenge  ;  nothing  doubting,  that,  with  one 
fell  swoop  of  my  formidable  club,  my  enemy  would  be 
prostrate  at  my  feet.  Alas  !  the  fates,  and  the  still  more 
remorseless  white  ants,  frustrated  my  murderous  inten- 
sions, and  all  but  left  me  a  victim  to  my  strange  and 

*  Life  in  the  Wilderness,  p.  173. 


COMBAT  WITH  A  KANGAROO.  255 

active  foe.  No  sooner  had  the  heavy  blow  I  aimed 
descended  on  his  head,  than  my  weapon  shivered  into  a 
thousand  pieces,*  and  I  found  myself  in  the  giant  embrace 
of  my  antagonist,  who  was  hugging  me  with  rather  too 
warm  a  demonstration  of  friendship,  and  ripping  at  me  in 
a  way  by  no  means  pleasant.  My  only  remaining  dog, 
too,  now  thoroughly  exhausted  by  wounds  and  loss  of 
blood,  and  apparently  quite  satisfied  of  her  master's 
superiority,  remained  a  mute  and  motionless  spectator  of 
the  new  and  unequal  contest. 

"  Notwithstanding  my  utmost  efforts  to  release  myself 
from  the  grasp  of  the  brute,  they  were  unavailing ;  and  I 
found  my  strength  gradually  diminishing,  whilst,  at  the 
same  time,  my  sight  was  obscured  by  the  blood  which 
now  flowed  freely  from  a  deep  wound,  extending  from  the 
back  part  of  my  head  over  the  whole  length  of  my  face. 
I  was,  in  fact,  becoming  an  easy  prey  to  the  kangaroo, 
who  continued  to  insert,  with  renewed  vigour,  his  talons 
into  my  breast,  luckily,  however,  protected  by  a  loose 
coarse  canvas  frock,  which,  in  colonial  phrase,  is  called  a 
'jumper,'  and  but  for  which  I  must  inevitably  have  shared 
the  fate  of  poor  Trip.  As  it  was,  I  had  almost  given 
myself  up  for  lost ;  my  head  was  pressed,  with  surpassing 
strength,  beneath  my  adversary's  breast,  and  a  faintness 
was  gradually  stealing  over  me,  when  I  heard  a  long  and 
heart-stirring  shout.  Was  I  to  be  saved  ?  The  thought 
gave  me  new  life :  with  increased  power  I  grappled  and 
succeeded  in  casting  from  me  my  determined  foe;  and, 

*  The  reader  will  find  an  explanation  of  this  fact  at  page  106,  supra. 


250  THE  TEKKIBLE. 

seeing  a  tree  close  at  hand,  I  made  a  desperate  leap  to 
procure  its  shelter  and  protection.  I  reached,  and  clung 
to  it  for  support ;  when  the  sharp  report  of  a  rifle  was 
heard  in  my  ear,  and  the  bark,  about  three  inches  above 
my  head,  was  penetrated  by  the  ball.  Another  shot 
followed,  with  a  more  sure  aim,  and  the  exasperated 
animal  (now  once  more  within  reach  of  me)  rolled  heavily 
over  on  its  side.  On  the  parties  nearing,  I  found  them  to 
be  my  brother  and  a  friend,  who  had  at  first  mistaken 
me  for  the  kangaroo,  and  had  very  nearly  consummated 
what  had  been  so  strangely  begun.  However,  a  miss  is 
always  as  good  as  a  mile  ;  and  having  recruited  my  spirits 
and  strength  with  a  draught  from  the  never-failing 
brandy-flask,  and  sung  a  requiem  over  poor  old  Trip,  my 
companions  shouldered  the  fallen  foe,  by  means  of  a  large 
stake,  one  carrying  each  end,  while  I  followed  with  weak 
and  tottering  steps.  You  may  imagine  that  the  little 
beauty  I  ever  had  is  not  much  improved  by  the  wound  on 
my  face,  which  still  remains,  and  ever  will.  I  am  now  an 
older  hand  at  kangaroo-hunting,  and  never  venture  to 
attack  so  formidable  an  antagonist  with  an  ant-eaten 
club ;  my  dogs,  also,  have  grown  too  wary  to  rush  heed- 
lessly within  reach  of  his  deadly  rips.  We  have  killed 
many  since,  but  rarely  so  fine  a  one  as  that  which  first 
tried  our  mettle  on  the  plains  of  New  Holland/'  * 

The  equatorial  coast  of  Africa  has  recently  yielded  to 
European  science  a  gigantic  kind  of  man-like  ape,  which 
affords  a  curious  confirmation  of  an  old  classic  story. 
Somewhere  about  the  sixth  century  before  the  Christian 

*  Sporting  Review,  ii.,  p   343. 


IIANNO'S  WILD  MEN.  257 

era,  one  Hanno  is  reported  to  have  sailed  from  Carthage, 
through  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  on  a  voyage  of  exploration 
along  the  coast  of  Africa.  In  the  record  of  this  voyage 
there  occurs  the  following  passage  : — "  Passing  the  Streams 
of  Fire,  we  came  to  a  bay  called  the  Horn  of  the  South. 
In  the  recess  there  was  an  island  like  the  first,  having  a 
lake,  and  in  this  there  was  another  island  full  of  wild 
men.  But  much  the  greater  part  of  them  were  women, 
with  hairy  bodies,  whom  the  interpreters  called  '  Gorillas.' 
But  pursuing  them,  we  were  not  able  to  take  the  men ; 
they  all  escaped,  being  able  to  climb  the  precipices; 
and  defended  themselves  with  pieces  of  rock  But 
three  women,  who  bit  and  scratched  those  who  led  them, 
were  not  willing  to  follow.  However,  having  killed  them, 
we  flayed  them,  and  conveyed  the  skins  to  Carthage; 
for  we  did  not  sail  any  further,  as  provisions  began  to 
fail."* 

The  "  wild  men  "  of  the  ancient  navigator  were  doubt- 
less identical  with  the  great  anthropoid  ape  lately  re-dis- 
covered, to  which,  in  allusion  to  the  old  story,  the  name 
of  Gorilla  has  been  given.  The  region  in  question  is  a 
richly  wooded  country,  extending  about  a  thousand  miles 
along  the  coast  from  the  Gulf  of  Guinea  southward ;  and 
as  the  gorilla  is  not  found  beyond  these  limits,  so  we  may 
pretty  conclusively  infer  that  the  extreme  point  of  Hanno 
was  somewhere  in  this  region. 

This  great  ape  makes  the  nearest  approach  of  any  brute- 
animal  to  the  human  form ;  it  is  fully  equal  to  man  in 

*  Penphu, 
K 


258  THE  TEBKIBLE. 

stature,  but  immensely  more  broad  and  muscular ;  while 
its  strength  is  colossal.  Though  exclusively  a  fruit-eater, 
it  is  described  as  always  manifesting  an  enraged  enmity 
towards  man ;  and  no  negro,  even  if  furnished  with  fire- 
arms, will  willingly  enter  into  conflict  with  an  adult  male 
gorilla.  He  is  said  to  be  more  than  a  match  for  the  lion. 

The  rivalry  between  the  mighty  ape  and  the  elephant 
is  curious,  and  leads  to  somewhat  comic  results.  The  old 
male  is  always  armed  with  a  stout  stick  when  on  the 
scout,  and  knows  how  to  use  it.  The  elephant  has  no 
intentional  evil  thoughts  towards  the  gorilla,  but  unfor- 
tunately they  love  the  same  sorts  of  fruit.  When  the 
ape  sees  the  elephant  busy  with  his  trunk  among  the 
twigs,  he  instantly  regards  it  as  an  infraction  of  the  laws 
of  property ;  and,  dropping  quietly  down  to  the  bough,  he 
suddenly  brings  his  club  smartly  down  on  the  sensitive 
finger  of  the  elephant's  proboscis,  and  drives  off  the  alarmed 
animal  trumpeting  shrilly  with  rage  and  pain. 

There  must  be  something  so  wild  and  unearthly  in  the 
appearance  of  one  of  these  apes,  so  demon-like  in  hideous- 
ness,  in  the  solemn  recesses  of  the  dark  primeval  forest, 
that  I  might  have  told  its  story  in  the  preceding  chapter. 
The  terrors  with  which  it  is  invested  are,  however,  more 
than  imaginary.  The  young  athletic  negroes,  in  their 
ivory  hunts,  well  know  the  prowess  of  the  gorilla.  He 
does  not,  like  the  lion,  sullenly  retreat  on  seeing  them, 
but  swings  himself  rapidly  down  to  the  lower  branches, 
courting  the  conflict,  and  clutches  at  the  foremost  of  his 
enemies.  The  hideous  aspect  of  his  visage,  his -green  eyes 


JACK  KETCH  IN  THE  FOKEST.         259 

flashing  with  rage,  is  heightened  by  the  thick  and  pro- 
minent brows  being  drawn  spasmodically  up  and  down, 
with  the  hair  erect,  causing  a  horrible  and  fiendish  scowl. 
Weapons  are  torn  from  their  possessors'  grasp,  gun-barrels 
bent  and  crushed  in  by  the  powerful  hands  and  vice-like 
teeth  of  the  enraged  brute.  More  horrid  still,  however, 
is  the  sudden  and  unexpected  fate  which  is  often  inflicted 
by  him.  Two  negroes  will  be  walking  through  one  of  the 
woodland  paths,  unsuspicious  of  evil,  when  in  an  instant 
one  misses  his  companion,  or  turns  to  see  him  drawn  up 
in  the  air  with  a  convulsed  choking  cry ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  dropped  to  the  ground  a  strangled  corpse.  The 
terrified  survivor  gazes  up,  and  meets  the  grin  and  glare 
of  the  fiendish  giant,  who,  watching  his  opportunity, 
had  suddenly  put  down  his  immense  hind-hand,  caught 
the  wretch  by  the  neck  with  resistless  power,  and  dropped 
him  only  when  he  ceased  to  struggle.  Surely  a  horrible 
improvised  gallows  this !  * 

The  pursuit  of  the  whale,  whether  that  species  which 
our  hardy  mariners  seek  amidst  the  ice-floes  of  the  Polar 
Seas,  or  the  still  huger  kind  which  wallows  in  the  bound- 
less Pacific,  is  one  full  of  peril,  and  its  annals  are  crowded 
with  strange  and  terrible  adventures.  Swift  and  sudden 
deaths ;  the  shattering  of  a  boat  into  fragments,  and  the 
immersion  of  the  crew  in  the  freezing  sea ;  the  dragging 
of  a  man  into  the  depths,  by  a  turn  of  the  tangled  line 
round  his  leg  or  arm ;  are  but  too  common  incidents  in 
this  warfare  with  the  leviathan.  One  instance  of  this  lasfc- 

*  See  Prof.  Owen  on  the  Gorilla  (Proc.  Zool  Soc.,  1859). 


260  THE  TEEEIBLE. 

named  accident  is  on  record,  in  which  the  sufferer  escaped 
with  life,  to  tell  the  harrowing  tale  of  his  own  sensations. 

An  American  whaling  captain  in  the  Pacific  was  fast 
to  a  sperm  whale,  which  "  sounded,"  or  descended  nearly 
perpendicularly.  The  line  in  swiftly  running  out  became 
suddenly  entangled;  the  captain  was  seen  to  stoop  in 
order  to  clear  it,  and  in  a  moment  disappeared  over  the 
bow.  The  boat-steerer  seized  an  axe,  and  instantly  cut 
the  line,  in  hope  that,  by  the  slackening,  the  unfortunate 
man  might  become  freed. 

Several  minutes  had  elapsed,  and  hope  had  wellnigh 
become  extinguished,  when  an  object  was  seen  to  rise  to 
the  surface  a  little  way  off.  It  was  the  body  of  the  captain, 
which  in  a  few  seconds  was  lifted  into  the  boat.  Though 
senseless  and  motionless,  life  seemed  to  be  not  extinct, 
and  the  usual  remedies  being  applied,  he  revived,  and 
became,  to  use  his  own  phrase,  "  as  good  as  new,"  when 
he  gave  an  account  of  his  singular  escape. 

It  appears  that  in  attempting  to  throw  the  line  clear 
from  the  chock,  a  turn  caught  his  left  wrist,  and  he  was 
dragged  overboard  by  the  descending  whale.  He  was 
perfectly  conscious  as  he  was  rushing  down  with  immense 
rapidity,  and  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  his  arm  would  be 
torn  from  its  socket,  from  the  resistance  of  his  body  to 
the  water.  Well  aware  of  his  peril,  he  knew  that  his  only 
chance  was  to  cut  the  line,  but  with  his  utmost  efforts  he 
could  not  raise  his  right  hand  from  his  side,  to  which  it 
was  pressed  by  the  force  with  which  he  was  dragged 
through  the  water. 


VORACITY  OF  SHARKS.  261 

On  first  opening  his  eyes  it  appeared  as  if  a  stream  of 
fire  was  passing  before  them ;  but,  as  he  descended,  it 
grew  dark,  and  he  felt  a  terrible  pressure  on  his  brain, 
and  there  was  a  roaring  as  of  thunder  in  his  ears.  Yet 
he  still  remained  conscious,  and  still  made  vain  efforts  to 
reach  the  knife  that  was  in  his  belt.  At  length,  as  he 
felt  his  strength  failing,  and  his  brain  reeling,  the  line  for 
an  instant  slackened  by  the  whale's  pausing  in  its  descent ; 
he  reached  and  drew  his  knife ;  the  line  again  became 
tight,  but  the  edge  of  the  keen  blade  was  across  it,  and  in 
an  instant  he  was  freed.  From  this  moment  he  remem- 
bered nothing,  until  he  awoke  to  light  and  life  and 
agonising  pain,  in  his  bed. 

Perhaps  the  reader  is  familiar  with  a  dreadful  example 
of  the  voracity  of  the  great  white  shark.  About  thirty 
natives  of  the  Society  Islands  were  proceeding  from  isle 
to  isle  in  one  of  their  large  double  canoes.  A  storm 
coming  on,  the  lashings  of  the  two  canoes  were  torn  apart 
by  the  violence  of  the  sea,  and  they  were  separated. 
Their  depth  and  narrowness  rendered  them  incapable  of 
floating  upright  when  single  ;  and,  though  the  crew  strove 
hard  to  keep  them  on  an  even  keel  by  balancing  the 
weight,  they  were  every  moment  capsized.  In  these  cir- 
cumstances, they  endeavoured  to  form  a  raft  of  the  loose 
spars  and  beams,  the  boards  and  paddles,  which  they  could 
get  at,  hoping  to  drift  ashore  thereon.  From  their 
numbers,  however,  compared  with  the  small  size  of  the 
raft,  the  latter  was  pressed  so  deep,  that  the  waves  washed 
above  their  knees.  At  length  they  saw  the  horrid  sharks 


262  THE  TERRIBLE. 

begin  to  collect  around  them,  which  soon  grew  so  bold  aa 
to  seize  one  of  the  shipwrecked  wretches,  and  drag  him 
into  the  abyss.  Another  and  another  followed  ;  for  the 
poor  islanders,  destitute  of  any  weapons,  and  almost  ex- 
hausted with  hunger  and  fatigue,  and  crowded  together 
on  their  submerged  narrow  platform,  could  neither  defend 
themselves  nor  evade  their  ferocious  assailants.  Every 
moment  made  the  conflict  more  unequal,  for  the  sharks, 
attracted  by  the  scent  of  blood,  gathered  in  greater  numbers 
to  the  spot,  and  grew  more  and  more  audacious,  until  two 
or  three  of  the  mariners  only  remaining,  the  raft  floated 
so  as  to  elevate  them  beyond  reach  of  the  savage  monsters, 
which  continued  to  threaten  them,  and  lingered  around, 
until  the  waves  at  lengh  bore  the  survivors  to  the  beach. 

Among  reptiles,  the  mailed  crocodiles  may  be  mentioned 
as  formidable  foes  to  man.  Vast  in  bulk,  yet  grovelling 
with  the  belly  on  the  earth  ;  clad  in  bony  plates  with 
sharp  ridges,  the  long  tail  bearing  a  double  row  .of  teeth, 
like  two  parallel  saws;  splay  feet  terminating  in  long 
diverging  hooked  talons  ;  green  eyes  with  a  peculiar  fiery 
glare,  gleaming  out  from  below  projecting  orbits;  lips 
altogether  wanting,  displaying  the  long  rows  of  interlock- 
ing teeth  even  when  the  mouth  is  closed,  so  that,  even 
when  quiet,  the  monster  seems  to  be  grinning  with  rage 
("  his  teeth  are  terrible  round  about,"  Job  xli.  14), — it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  crocodile  should  be,  in  all  countries  which 
it  inhabits,  viewed  with  dread. 

Nor  is  this  terror  groundless.  The  crocodiles,  both  of 
the  Nile  and  of  the  West  Indian  Isles,  are  well  known  to 


EENCONTRE  WITH  AN  ALLIGATOR.  2(13 

make  man  their  victim ;  and  the  alligators  of  continental 
America  are  not  behind  them.  Those  of  the  great  rivers 
of  South  America  appear  to  be  more  savage  than  their 
northern  congener.  Waterton  and  other  observers  have 
recorded  terrible  examples  of  their  voracity ;  and  I  will 
add  one  from  a  more  recent  traveller,  an  officer  engaged 
in  the  wars  which  liberated  the  South  American  provinces 
from  the  Spanish  supremacy. 

During  Morillo's  campaign  in  the  Apuri  country,  three 
officers  were  on  their  route  with  despatches  from  Colonel 
Rangel's  camp  at  Congrial,  to  General  Paez's  head-quarters 
at  Caiia  Fistola  ;  and,  not  being  able  to  procure  a  canoe, 
were  obliged  to  swim  their  horses  over  a  small  branch  of 
the  lagoon  of  Cunavichi,  which  lay  across  the  road,  carry- 
ing as  usual  their  saddles  on  their  heads.  Two  of  the 
party  were  brothers,  by  name  Gamarra,  natives  of  Varinas. 
One  of  them,  a  lieutenant  of  Paez's  Lancers,  loitered  so 
long  on  the  bank,  as  only  to  have  just  entered  the  water 
at  the  moment  his  comrades  had  reached  the  opposite  side. 
When  he  was  nearly  half-way  across,  they  saw  a  large 
cayman,  which  was  known  to  infest  this  pass,  issuing 
from  under  the  mangrove-trees.  They  instantly  warned 
their  companion  of  his  danger ;  but  it  was  too  late  for 
him  to  turn  back.  When  the  alligator  was  so  close  as 
to  be  on  the  point  of  seizing  him,  he  threw  his  saddle  to 
it.  The  ravenous  animal  immediately  caught  the  whole 
bundle  in  its  jaws,  and  disappeared  for  a  few  moments ; 
but  soon  discovered  its  mistake,  and  rose  in  front  of  the 
horse,  which,  then  seeing  it  for  the  first  time,  reared  and 


264  THE  TEEKIBLE. 

threw  its  rider.  He  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  and  had 
nearly  escaped  by  diving  towards  the  bank  ;  but,  on  ris- 
ing for  breath,  his  pursuer  also  rose,  and  seized  him  by 
the  middle.  This  dreadful  scene,  which  passed  before 
their  eyes,  without  the  least  possibility  of  their  rendering 
any  assistance,  was  terminated  by  the  alligator,  having 
previously  drowned  the  unfortunate  man,  appearing  on 
an  opposite  sand-bank  with  the  body,  and  there  devouring 
it.* 

It  is  in  this  class  of  animals  that  we  find  the  most 
terrible  of  all  creatures  ;  more  potent  than  the  roused  lion, 
the  enraged  elephant,  the  deadly  shark,  or  the  mailed 
alligator.  In  the  whole  range  of  animal  existence,  there 
is  none  that  can  compare  with  the  venomous  snakes  for 
the  deadly  fatality  of  their  enmity  ;  the  lightning  stroke 
of  their  poisonous  fangs  is  the  unerring  signal  of  a  swift 
dissolution,  preceded  by  torture  the  most  horrible.  The 
bite  of  the  American  rattlesnake  has  been  known  to  pro- 
duce death  in  two  minutes.  Even  where  the  consumma- 
tion is  not  so  fearfully  rapid,  its  delay  is  but  a  brief  pro- 
longation of  the  intense  suffering.  The  terrible  symp- 
toms are  thus  described  : — a  sharp  pain  in  the  part,  which 
becomes  swollen,  shining,  hot,  red  ;  then  livid,  cold,  and 
insensible.  The  pain  and  inflammation  spread,  and  become 
more  intense;  fierce  shooting  pains  are  felt  in  other 
parts,  and  a  burning  fire  pervades  the  whole  body.  The 
eyes  begin  to  water  abundantly ;  then  come  swoonings, 
cold  sweats,  and  sharp  pains  in  the  loins.  The  skin  be- 

*  Campaigns  and  Cruises  in  Venezuela,  vol.  i.,  p.  59. 


BITE  OF  SERPENTS.  265 

comes  deadly  pale  or  deep  yellow,  while  a  black  watery 
blood  runs  from  the  wound,  which  changes  to  a  yellowish 
matter.  Violent  headache  succeeds,  and  giddiness,  faint- 
ness,  and  overwhelming  terrors,  burning  thirst,  gushing 
discharges  of  blood  from  the  orifices  of  the  body,  intoler- 
able fetor  of  breath,  convulsive  hiccoughs,  and  death. 

Mr  Francis  T.  Buckland  *  has  described  the  awful  effects 
of  a  dose  of  poison  received  from  the  cobra-di-capello 
in  his  own  person.  Fortunately  it  was  a  most  minute 
dose,  or  we  should  not  have  received  the  account.  A  rat 
which  had  been  struck  by  the  serpent,  Mr  Buckland 
skinned  after  its  death.  He  scraped  the  interior  of  the 
skin  with  his  finger-nail,  forgetting  that  he  had  an  hour 
before  been  cleaning  his  nails  with  his  penknife.  In  so 
doing,  he  had  slightly  separated  the  nail  from  the  quick, 
and  into  this  little  crack  the  poison  had  penetrated. 
Though  the  orifice  was  so  small  as  to  have  been  un- 
noticed, and  though  the  venom  was  not  received  direct 
from  the  serpent,  but  had  been  diffused  through  the  system 
of  the  rat,  the  life  of  the  operator  was  all  but  sacrificed. 

A  few  years  ago  the  people  of  London  were  shocked  by 
the  sudden  death  of  Curling,  one  of  the  keepers  of  the 
Zoological  'Gardens,  from  the  bite  of  a  cobra. 

In  India,  where  the  species  is  common,  its  propensity 
to  haunt  houses  frequently  brings  it  under  notice,  and 
many  accidents  occur.  It  seems,  however,  on  some  occa- 
sions to  be  placably  disposed,  if  not  assaulted;  and  some 
singular  escapes  are  on  record  of  persons  who  have  had 
*  Curiosities  of  Nat.  Hist.,  p.  223. 


266  THE  TEERIBLE. 

presence  of  mind  enough  to  let  it  alone.  One  is  told  of 
an  officer  who,  having  some  repairs  done  to  his  bungalow, 
was  lying  on  a  mattress  in  the  verandah,  reading,  nearly 
undressed.  Perhaps  his  book  was  of  a  soporific  tendency, 
for  he  dropped  asleep,  and  awaked  with  a  chilly  sensation 
about  his  breast.  Opening  his  eyes,  he  beheld,  to  his 
horror,  a  large  cobra  coiled  up  on  his  bosom,  within  his 
open  shirt.  He  saw,  in  a  moment,  that  to  disturb  the 
creature  would  be  highly  perilous,  almost  certainly  fatal, 
and  that  it  was  at  present  doing  no  harm,  and  apparently 
intending  none.  With  great  coolness  therefore  he  lay  per- 
fectly still,  gazing  on  the  bronzed  and  glittering  scales  of 
the  intruder.  After  a  period  which  seemed  to  him  an 
age,  one  of  the  workmen  approached  the  verandah,  and 
the  snake  at  his  footsteps  left  its  warm  berth,  and  was 
gliding  off,  when  the  servants  at  the  cry  of  the  artisan 
rushed  out  and  destroyed  it. 

It  curiously  happens  that  in  some  of  the  creatures  whose 
rage  is  likely  to  be  fatal  to  man,  there  should  be  some- 
thing in  the  physiognomy  which  puts  him  on  his  guard. 
We  have  seen  that  it  is  so  in  the  sharks ;  we  have  seen 
that  it  is  so  in  the  crocodiles ;  it  is  so  pre-eminently  in 
the  venomous  serpents.  There  is  in  most  of  these  an 
expression  of  malignity,  which  well  indicates  their  deadly 
character.  Their  flattened  head,  more  or  less  widened 
behind,  so  as  to  approach  a  triangular  figure ;  their  wide 
gape,  and  the  cleft  tongue  ever  darting  to  and  fro ;  and, 
above  all,  the  sinister  expression  of  the  glaring  lidless  eye, 
\vith  its  linear  pupil ;  are  sufficient  to  cause  the  observer 


THE  BUSH-MASTER.  267 

to  retreat  with  shuddering  precipitancy.  Darwin,  speaking 
of  a  sort  of  viper  which  he  found  at  Bahia  Blanca,  says : 
"The  expression  of  this  snake's  face  was  hideous  and 
fierce ;  the  pupil  consisted  of  a  vertical  slit  in  a  mottled 
and  coppery  iris ;  the  jaws  were  broad  at  the  base,  and 
the  nose  terminated  in  a  triangular  projection.  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  saw  anything  more  ugly,  excepting,  perhaps, 
some  of  the  vampyre  bats." 

Many  of  the  snakes  of  South  America  are  highly 
venomous.  One  of  these  is  called,  from  its  prowess  and 
power,  the  bush-master.  Frightful  accidents  occur  in  the 
forests  of  Guiana  by  this  terrible  species.  Sullivan  *  gives 
us  the  following :  his  host,  a  few  days  before,  had  sent 
a  negro  to  open  some  sluices  on  his  estate ;  but,  as  he  did 
not  return,  the  master,  thinking  he  had  run  away,  sent 
another  negro  to  look  after  him ;  this  negro  went  to  the 
place  directed,  and  found  the  man  quite  dead,  and  swollen 
up  to  a  hideous  size.  He  was  bitten  in  two  places,  and 
death  must  have  been  instantaneous,  as  he  was  not  more 
than  three  feet  from  the  sluice*  They  supposed  that  it 
must  have  been  a  bush-master  that  had  killed  him.  The 
couni-couchi,  or  bush-master,  is  the  most  dreaded  of  all 
the  South  American  snakes,  and,  as  his  name  implies,  he 
roams  absolute  master  of  the  forest.  They  will  not  fly 
from  man,  like  all  other  snakes,  but  will  even  pursue  and 
attack  him.  They  are  fat,  clumsy-looking  snakes,  about 
four  feet  long,  and  nearly  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm ;  their 
mouth  is  unnaturally  large,  and  their  fangs  are  from  one 

*  Rambles  in  America,  p.  406. 


268  THE  TEBB1BLE. 

to  three  inches  in  length.  They  strike  with  immense 
force ;  and  a  gentleman  who  had  examined  a  man  after 
having  been  struck  in  the  thigh  and  died,  told  the  narrator 
that  the  wound  was  as  if  two  four-inch  nails  had  been 
driven  into  the  flesh.  As  the  poison  oozes  out  from  the 
extremity  of  the  fang,  any  hope  of  being  cured  after  a  bite 
is  small,  as  it  is  evident  that  no  external  application  could 
have  any  immediate  effect  on  a  poison  deposited  an  inch 
and  a  half  or  two  inches  below  the  surface ;  the  instan- 
taneousness  of  the  death  depends  upon  whether  any  large 
artery  is  wounded  or  not. 

The  same  traveller  records  the  following  shocking  story 
about  a  very  deadly  snake,  called  the  manoota,  that  infests 
the  borders  of  the  Lake  of  Valencia,  in  Venezuela : — 

"  An  American  we  met  related  an  anecdote  of  this 
snake,  which,  if  true,  was  very  frightful.  He  had  gone 
in  a  canoe  one  night  with  a  father  and  son,  intending  to 
shoot  deer  next  morning  on  one  of  the  islands  in  the 
lake.  When  they  reached  the  island,  the  son,  notwith- 
standing the  repeated  warnings  of  his  father,  jumped 
out;  but  he  had  no  sooner  done  so,  than  he  gave  an 
agonised  yell,  and  fell  back;  the  father  immediately 
sprung  out,  but  was  also  struck  by  the  snake,  but  not  so 
severely.  They  got  the  young  man  into  the  boat,  but  he 
swelled  to  a  horrible  size,  and,  bleeding  at  eyes,  nose,  and 
mouth,  died  in  less  than  half-an-hour.  Our  friend  and 
the  father  now  set  out  on  their  return  to  Valencia  with 
the  dead  body.  A  storm  had  in  the  meantime  arisen, 
and  they  were  in  the  greatest  danger  of  being  capsized 


FATAL  ATTACK  OP  BEES.  20 9 

The  old  man  was  suffering  fearful  agony  from  his  bite, 
and  had  nearly  gone  out  of  his  mind ;  and  the  narrator 
described  in  graphic  terms  the  horrors  of  his  situation,  in 
a  frail  canoe,  in  a  dark  night  during  a  severe  storm,  and 
the  momentary  expectation  of  being  capsized,  his  only 
companion  being  a  mad  father  lamenting  over  the  body 
of  his  dead  son."  * 

Even  the  most  insignificant  of  creatures  may  be  the 
scourge  of  the  most  exalted.  We  have  seen  some  examples 
of  insect  pests  in  a  former  chapter,  and  of  their  ravages 
and  successful  assaults  against  man ;  but  that  he  should 
be  actually  slain  in  mortal  conflict  with  a  fly  is  something 
unusual.  Yet  last  summer  this  happened  in  India. 

"  Two  European  gentleman  belonging  to  the  Indian 
Railway  Company, — viz.,  Messrs  Armstrong  and  Bodding- 
ton — were  surveying  a  place  called  Bunder  Coode,  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  a  bridge  across  the  Nerbudda,  the 
channel  of  which,  being  in  this  place  from  ten  to  fifty 
yards  wide,  is  fathomless,  having  white  marble  rocks 
rising  perpendicularly  on  either  side  from  a  hundred  to  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  beetling  fearfully  in  some 
parts.  Suspended  in  the  recesses  of  these  marble  rocks 
are  numerous  large  hornets' nests,  the  inmates  of  which 
are  ready  to  descend  upon  any  unlucky  wight  who  may 
venture  to  disturb  their  repose.  Now,  as  the  boats  of 
these  European  surveyors  were  passing  up  the  river,  a 
cloud  of  these  insects  overwhelmed  them;  the  boatmen 
as  well  as  the  two  gentlemen  jumped  overboard,  but, 

*  Sullivan's  Rambles  in  N.  and  S.  America,  p.  409. 


270  THE  TERRIBLE. 

alas!  Mr  Boddington,  who  swam  and  had  succeeded  in 
clinging  to  a  marble  block,  was  again  attacked,  and  being 
unable  any  longer  to  resist  the  assaults  of  the  countless 
hordes  of  his  infuriated  winged  foes,  threw  himself  into 
the  depths  of  the  water,  never  to  rise  again.  On  the  fourth 
day  his  corpse  was  discovered  floating  on  the  water,  and 
was  interred  with  every  mark  of  respect.  The  other 
gentleman,  Mr  Armstrong,  and  his  boatmen,  although  very 
severely  stung,  are  out  of  danger/' 

Such  is  the  story  as  narrated  in  the  Times  of  Jan.  28, 
1859.  But  I  have  the  pleasure  of  being  personally 
acquainted  with  some  of  the  members  of  the  family  of  Mr 
Armstrong,  who  have  assured  me  that  the  insects  were  not 
hornets,  as  represented,  but  honey-bees ;  it  may  be  not 
the  hive-bee  domesticated  with  us,  but  a  species  well 
known  as  making  honey.  Whatever  the  true  nature  of 
the  insect,  it  affords  an  apt  illustration  of  such  passages  of 
Holy  Scripture  as  the  following : — "  The  Lord  shall  hiss 
for  ...  the  bee  that  is  in  the  land  of  Assyria."  (Isa.  vil 
18.)  "  The  Lord  thy  God  will  send  the  hornet  among 
them,  until  they  that  are  left,  and  hide  themselves  from 
thee,  be  destroyed/'  (Deut.  vii.  20.) 

And  with  this  we  shut  up  our  "  chamber  of  horrors." 


XI. 

THE  UNKNOWN. 

LETOUILLANT  tells  us,  in  his  "  Travels  in  the  East/'  that 
whenever  he  arrived  at  an  eminence,  whence  he  could 
behold  a  distant  mountain  range,  he  felt  an  irrepressible 
desire  to  reach  it ;  an  unreasoning  persuasion  that  it  would 
afford  something  more  interesting,  more  delightful,  than 
anything  which  he  had  yet  attained.  The  charm  lay  here, 
that  it  was  unknown:  the  imagination  can  people  the 
unexplored  with  whatever  forms  of  beauty  or  interest  it 
pleases ;  and  it  does  delight  to  throw  a  halo  round  it,  the 
halo  of  hope. 

"  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view, 
And  clothes  the  mountain  in  its  azure  hue." 

One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  the  out-of-door  natu- 
ralist depends  upon  this  principle.  There  is  so  great 
variety  in  the  objects  which  he  pursues,  and  so  much 
uncertainty  in  their  presence  at  any  given  time  and  place, 
that  hope  is  ever  on  the  stretch.  He  makes  his  excursions 
not  knowing  what  he  may  meet  with ;  and,  if  disappointed 
of  what  he  had  pictured  to  himself,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  be 
surprised  with  something  or  other  of  interest  that  he  had 
not  anticipated.  And  much  more  does  the  romance  of  the 
unknown  prevail  to  the  natural  history  collector  in  a  new 


272  THE  UNKNOWN. 

and  unexplored  country.  It  has  been  my  lot'  to  pursue 
various  branches  of  zoology,  in  regions  where  the  pro- 
ductions were  to  science  largely,  to  myself  wholly,  un- 
known. In  a  rich  tropical  island,  such  as  Jamaica,  where 
nature  is  prodigal  in  variety  and  beauty,  and  where, 
throughout  the  year,  though  there  is  change,  there  is  no 
cessation  of  animal  or  vegetable  activity,  there  was  novelty 
enough  in  every  day's  opima  spolia  to  whet  the  expecta- 
tion of  to-morrow.  Each  morning's  preparation  was 
made  with  the  keenest  relish,  because  there  was  the 
undefined  hope  of  good  things,  but  I  knew  not  what ;  and 
the  experience  of  each  day,  as  the  treasures  were  gloated 
over  in  the  evening,  was  so  different  in  detail  from  that 
of  the  preceding,  that  the  sense  of  novelty  never  palled. 
If  the  walk  was  by  the  shore,  the  state  of  the  tide,  the 
ever  varying  wave-washings,  the  diverse  rocks  with  their 
numerous  pools  and  crannies  and  recesses,  the  cliffs  and 
caves,  the  fishes  in  the  shallows,  the  nimble  and  alert 
Crustacea  on  the  mud,  the  shelled  mollusca  on  the  weed- 
beds,  the  echinoderms  on  the  sand,  the  zoophytes  on  the 
corals,  continually  presented  objects  of  novelty.  If  I  rode 
with  vasculum  and  insect-net  and  fowling-piece  into  the 
mountain-woods,  there  was  still  the  like  pleasing  uncer- 
tainty of  what  might  occur,  with  the  certainty  of  abund- 
ance. A  fine  epiphyte  orchid  scents  the  air  with  fragrance, 
and  it  is  discovered  far  up  in  the  fork  of  some  vast  tree ; 
then  there  is  the  palpitation  of  hope  and  fear  as  we  discuss 
the  possibility  .of  getting  it  down  ;  then  come  contrivances 
and  efforts, — pole  after  pole  is  cut  and  tied  together  with 


COLLECTING  IN  JAMAICA.  273 

the  cords  which  the  forest-climbers  afford.  At  length  the 
plant  is  reached,  and  pushed  off,  and  triumphantly  bagged  ; 
but  lo  !  while  examining  it,  some  elegant  twisted  shell  is 
discovered,  with  its  tenant  snail,  crawling  on  the  leaves. 
Scarcely  is  this  boxed,  when  a  gorgeous  butterfly  rushes 
out  of  the  gloom  into  the  sunny  glade,  and  is  in  a  moment 
seen  to  be  a  novelty ;  then  comes  the  excitement  of  pur- 
suit ;  the  disappointment  of  seeing  it  dance  over  a  thicket 
out  of  sight;  the  joy  of  finding  it  reappear;  the  tantalising 
trial  of  watching  the  lovely  wings  flapping  just  out  of 
reach ;  the  patient  waiting  for  it  to  descend ;  the  tiptoe 
approach  as  we  see  it  settle  on  a  flower ;  the  breathless 
eagerness  with  which  the  net  is  poised ;  and  the  trium- 
phant flush  with  which  we  contemplate  the  painted  wings 
within  the  gauze ;  and  the  admiration  with  which  we 
gaze  on  its  loveliness  when  held  in  the  trembling  fingers. 
Another  step  or  two,  and  a  gay-plumaged  bird  rises 
from  the  bush,  and  falls  to  the  gun ;  we  run  to  the  spot 
and  search  for  the  game  among  the  shrubs  and  moss ;  at 
last  it  is  found,  admired,  and  committed  to  a  little  pro- 
tective cone  of  paper.  Now  a  fern  of  peculiar  delicacy 
appears ;  then  a  charming  flower,  of  which  we  search  for 
ripe  seed  :  a  glittering  beetle  is  detected  crawling  on  the 
gray  bark  of  a  lichened  tree ;  here  is  a  fine  caterpillar 
feeding ;  yonder  a  humming-bird  hovering  over  a  brilliant 
blossom ;  and  here  a  female  of  the  same  spangled  bird 
sitting  in  her  tiny  nest.  By  and  by  we  emerge  into  a 
spot  where,  for  some  cause  or  other,  insects  seem  to  have 
specially  congregated ;  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  butter- 


274  THE  UNKNOWN. 

flies  are  flitting  to  and  fro  in  bewildering  profusion  of 
beauty,  and  our  collecting-box  is  half  filled  in  the 
course  of  an  hour.  Meanwhile  we  have  shot  two  or  three 
more  birds  ;  caught  a  pretty  lizard ;  seen  a  painted  tree- 
frog,  which  escaped  to  be  captured  another  day  ;  obtained 
some  strange  nondescript  creatures  under  stones  ;  picked 
a  beautiful  spider  from  a  web ;  taken  a  host  of  banded 
shells ; — and  so  the  day  wears  on.  And  then  in  the  evening 
what  a  feasting  of  the  eager  eyes  as  they  gloat  over  the 
novelties,  assigning  each  to  its  place,  preparing  such  as 
need  preparation,  and  recording  the  facts  and  habits  that 
help  to  make  up  the  as  yet  unwritten  history  of  all. 

I  turn  from  my  own  experience  to  that  of  those  who 
have,  with  similar  tastes  and  similar  pursuits,  rifled  still 
more  prolific  regions.  Let  us  hear  Mr  Bates,  who  for  the 
last  eleven  years  has  been  exploring  the  very  heart  of 
South  America  in  the  service  of  natural  history,  chiefly 
devoting  himself  to  the  gorgeous  entomology  of  the  great 
Valley  of  the  Amazon.  He  has  drawn  a  picture  of  an 
average  day's  proceedings,  such  as  makes  a  brother  natu- 
ralist's mouth  water,  and  almost  induces  him  to  pack  up 
his  traps,  and  look  out  in  The  Times'  shipping  column  for 
the  next  ship  sailing  for  Para : — 

"  The  charm  and  glory  of  the  country  are  its  animal 
and  vegetable  productions.  How  inexhaustible  is  their 
study!  Remember  that,  as  to  botany,  in  the  forest 
scarcely  two  trees  of  the  same  species  are  seen  growing 
together.  It  is  not  as  in  temperate  countries  (Europe),  a 
forest  of  oak,  or  birch,  or  pine — it  is  one  dense  jungle ; 


COLLECTING  IN  BRAZIL.  2?5 

the  lofty  forest  trees,  of  vast  variety  of  species,  all  lashed 
and  connected  by  climbers,  their  trunk  covered  with  a 
museum  of  ferns,  tillandsias,  arums,  orchids,  &c.  The 
underwood  consists  of  younger  trees — great  variety  of 
small  palms,  mimosas,  tree-ferns,  &c.  ;  and  the  ground 
is  laden  with  fallen  branches — vast  trunks  covered  with 
parasites,  &c.  The  animal  denizens  are  in  the  same  way 
of  infinite  variety ;  not  numerous,  as  to  give  the  appear- 
ance at  once  of  tumultuous  life,  being  too  much  scattered 
for  that ;  it  is  in  course  of  time  only  that  one  forms  an 
idea  of  their  numbers.  Four  or  five  species  of  monkey 
are  constantly  seen.  The  birds  are  in  such  variety  that  it 
is  not  easy  to  get  two  or  three  of  the  same  species.  You 
see  a  trogon  one  day ;  the  next  day  and  the  day  after, 
another  each  day ;  and  all  will  be  different  species.  Quad- 
rupeds or  snakes  are  seldom  seen,  but  lizards  are  every- 
where met  with;  and  sometimes  you  get  tortoises,  tree- 
frogs,  &c.  Insects,  like  birds,  do  not  turn  up  in  swarms 
of  one  species  ;  for  instance,  you  take  a  dozen  longicorns 
one  day,  and  they  are  sure  to  be  of  eight  or  ten  distinct 
species.  One  year  of  daily  work  is  scarcely  sufficient  to  get 
the  majority  of  species  in  a  district  of  two  miles'  circuit. 

"Such  is  the  scene  of  my  present  labours  ;  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  Amazon  is  similar,  though  less  rich  ;  the  river 
Tapajos  alone  differing,  being  a  mountainous  country. 
Having  thus  my  work  at  hand,  I  will  tell  you  how  I  pro- 
ceed. My  house  is  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  but  even 
thus  only  a  few  minutes'  walk  from  the  edge  of  the  forest 
I  keep  an  old  and  a  young  servant,  on  whom  I  rely  for 


276  THE  UNKNOWN. 

getting  eatables  and  preparing  my  meals,  so  as  to  leave 
me  unembarrassed  to  devote  all  my  thoughts  to  my  work. 
Between  nine  and  ten  A.M.  I  prepare  for  the  woods;  a 
coloured  shirt,  pair  of  trousers,  pair  of  common  boots, 
and  an  old  felt  hat,  are  all  my  clothing;  over  my  left 
shoulder  slings  my  double-barrelled  gun,  loaded,  one  with 
No.  10,  one  with  No.  4  shot.  In  my  right  hand  I  take 
my  net,  on  my  left  side  is  suspended  a  leathern  bag  with 
two  pockets,  one  for  my  insect-box,  the  other  for  powder 
and  two  sorts  of  shot ;  on  my  right  side  hangs  my  "  game- 
bag,"  an  ornamental  affair,  with  red  leather  trappings  and 
thongs  to  hang  lizards,  snakes,  frogs,  or  large  birds.  One 
small  pocket  in  this  bag  contains  my  caps ;  another, 
papers  for  wrapping  up  the  delicate  birds;  others  for 
wads,  cotton,  box  of  powdered  plaster ;  and  a  box  with 
damped  cork  for  the  Micro-Lepidoptera ;  to  my  shirt  is 
pinned  my  pin-cushion,  with  six  sizes  of  pins.  A  few 
minutes  after  entering  the  edge  of  the  forest,  I  arrive 
in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness ;  before  me  nothing  but 
forest  for  hundreds  of  miles.  Many  butterflies  are  found 
on  the  skirts  of  the  forest;  in  the  midst  of  numbers 
flitting  about,  I  soon  distinguish  the  one  I  want — often 
a  new  one — Erycinide,  Hesperia,  Thecla,  or  what  not. 
Coleoptera  you  see  nothing  fine  of  at  first;  a  few 
minute  Halticce  on  the  leaves,  or  small  Curculios,  or 
JEumolpi.  When  you  come  to  the  neighbourhood  of  u 
newly-fallen  tree,  is  soon  enough  to  hunt  closely  for  them  ; 
not  only  wood-eating  species,  but  all  kinds  seem  to  con- 
gregate there;  Agras  and  Lebias  in  the  folded  leaves. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  COLLECTING.  277 

grand  Cassidce,  and  Erotyli,  Rutelce,  or  Melolonthids,  Gym- 
netis,  &c. ;  often  a  Ctenostoma  running  along  some  slender 
twig.  It  requires  a  certain  kind  of  weather  for  Coleo- 
ptera,  and  some  days  all  seem  to  be  absent  at  once. 

"  Whilst  I  am  about  these  things,  I  often  hear  the  noise 
of  birds  above — pretty  tanagers,  or  what  not.  You  can- 
not see  the  colours  of  red,  cobalt-blue,  or  beryl-green, 
when  they  are  up  in  the  trees ;  and  it  takes  months  of 
experience  to  know  your  bird.  I  have  sometimes  shot  at 
small,  obscure-looking  birds  up  the  trees,  and  when  they 
have  fallen,  have  been  dazzled  by  their  exquisite  beauty. 

"  I  walk  about  a  mile  straight  ahead,  lingering  in  rich 
spots,  and  diverging  often.  It  is  generally  near  two  P.M. 
when  I  reach  home,  thoroughly  tired.  I  get  dinner,  lie 
in  hammock  a  while  reading,  then  commence  preparing 
my  captives,  &c. ;  this  generally  takes  me  till  five  P.M.  In 
the  evening  I  take  tea,  write  and  read,  but  generally  in 
bed  by  nine/'  * 

I  might  quote  similar  details  from  Mr  Wallace's  letters, 
written  while  engaged  in  similar  pursuits  in  a  neighbour- 
ing part  of  the  same  mighty  continent.  But  I  prefer 
citing,  in  illustration  of  our  subject,  his  observations  made 
when,  after  having  satiated  himself  in  the  west,  he  turned 
to  the  gorgeous  east,  and  set  himself  to  explore  the  virgin 
treasures  of  the  remotest  parts  of  the  Indian  Archipelago. 
Who  cannot  sympathise  with  his  enthusiasm,  when  he 
gays  : — «  I  I00k  forward  with  unmixed  satisfaction  to  my 
visit  to  the  rich  and  almost  unexplored  Spice  Islands 

*  Zoologist,  p.  5659, 


278  THE  UNKNOWN". 

the  land  of  the  lories,  of  the  cockatoos  and  the  birds  of 
paradise,  the  country  of  tortoise-shell  and  pearls,  of  beauti- 
ful shells  and  rare  insects  "  ?  And  when,  having  visited 
them,  and  swept  into  his  cabinet  their  riches,  his  eye  is 
still  towards  the  rising  sun,  and  the  gorgeous  spoils  of  the 
unknown  Papuan  group  are  firing  his  imagination,  he 
thus  jots  down  his  undefinable  expectations : — 

"  I  am  going  another  thousand  miles  eastward  to  the 
Arru  Islands,  which  are  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the 
coast  of  New  Guinea,  and  are  the  most  eastern  islands  of 
the  Archipelago.  Many  reasons  have  induced  me  to  go 
so  far  now.  I  must  go  somewhere  to  escape  the  terrific 
rainy  season  here.  I  have  all  along  looked  to  visiting 
Arru  as  one  of-  the  great  objects  of  my  journey  to  the 
East ;  and  almost  all  the  trade  with  Arru  is  from  Macassar. 
I  have  an  opportunity  of  going  in  a  proa,  owned  and  com- 
manded by  a  Dutchman,  (Java-born,)  who  will  take  me 
and  bring  me  back,  and  assist  me  in  getting  a  house,  &c., 
there  ;  and  he  goes  at  the  very  time  I  want  to  leave.  I 
have  also  friends  here  with  whom  I  can  leave  all  the 
things  I  do  not  want  to  take  with  me.  All  these  advan- 
tageous circumstances  would  probably  never  be  combined 
again;  and  were  I  to  refuse  this  opportunity  I  might 
never  go  to  Arru  at  all ;  which,  when  you  consider  it  is 
the  nearest  place  to  New  Guinea  where  I  can  stay  on 
shore  and  work  in  perfect  safety,  would  be  much  to  bo 
regretted.  What  I  shall  get  there  it  is  impossible  to  say 
Being  a  group  of  small  islands,  the  immense  diversity  and 
richness  of  the  productions  of  New  Guinea  will,  of  course, 


EXPECTATIONS.  279 

be  wanting  ;  yet  I  think  I  may  expect  some  approach  to 
the  strange  and  beautiful  natural  productions  of  that 
unexplored  country.  Very  few  naturalists  have  visited 
Arru.  One  or  two  of  the  French  discovery  ships  have 
touched  it.  M.  Payen,  of  Brussels,  was  there,  but  stayed 
probably  only  a  few  days ;  and  I  suppose  not  twenty 
specimens  of  its  birds  and  insects  are  positively  known. 
Here,  then,  I  shall  have  tolerably  new  ground,  and  if  I 
have  health  I  shall  work  it  well.  I  take  three  lads  with 
me,  two  of  whom  can  shoot  and  skin  birds."  * 

Such  men  as  these  are  fast  beating  up  the  untrodden 
ground,  and  gathering  into  our  museums  and  cabinets 
the  natural  history  harvest  of  every  land.  Already  we 
know  the  characteristic  forms  of  almost  all  the  regions  of 
the  earth ;  and,  though  there  yet  remain  great  tracts  un- 
explored, and  these  in  the  most  teeming  climes,  yet  from 
the  productions  of  surrounding  or  contiguous  districts  we 
can  pretty  surely  conjecture  what  forms  they  will  yield, — 
what  sorts  of  forms,  at  least,  though  there  may  remain 
much  of  novelty  in  detail.  When  we  consider  that  an 
ardent  and  most  indefatigable  entomologist,  after  spending 
eleven  years  in  one  region — the  Valley  of  the  Amazon, — 
devoting  his  whole  time  and  energy  to  searching  after 
butterflies,  yet  finds  new  species  turning  up,  in  almost 
unabated  profusion,  and  that  every  little  district  visited, 
though  but  a  few  miles  'distant  from  the  last,  has  its  own 
peculiar,  though  allied  kinds,  we  may  form  some  idea  of 
the  vast  variety  and  abundance  of  unknown  insects  which 

*  Zoologist,  pp.  5117,  5656. 


280  THE  UNKNOWN. 

the  almost  boundless  forests  of  South  America  have  yet 
to  yield  to  scientific  enterprise. 

Yet  in  all  this  profusion,  it  is  almost  wholly  new  species 
of  already  recognised  genera  that  constitute  the  reward 
of  perseverance.  It  is  comparatively  rare  to  capture  a 
butterfly  so  different  from  anything  before  known  as  to 
warrant  the  formation  of  a  new  genus ;  and  the  occurrence 
of  a  new  family  is  almost  out  of  the  question. 

Then,  again,  throughout  that  immense  region,  so  little 
explored  by  competent  naturalists,  we  can  assert  with  a 
measure  of  confidence  that  no  great  mammal,  scarcely  any 
conspicuous  bird,  is  at  all  likely  to  be  added  to  those 
already  known,  with  the  exception  of  additional  species 
of  characteristic  •  and  large  groups,  such  as  the  trogons, 
the  tanagers,  the  toucans,  or  the  humming-birds.  At  the 
same  time,  we  may  well  believe  that  many  of  the  smaller 
mammalia,  and  a  still  greater  number  of  the  sombre- 
coloured  birds,  have  been  as  yet  unnoticed. 

It  is,  however,  possible  that  a  great  anthropoid  ape 
may  exist,  as  yet  unrecognised  by  zoologists.  On  the 
cataracts  of  the  upper  Orinoco,  Humboldt  heard  reports 
of  a  "  hairy  man  of  the  woods,"  which  was  reputed  to 
build  huts,  to  carry  off  women,  and  to  devour  human 
flesh.  The  first  and  second  of  these  attributes  are  so 
characteristic  of  the  great  anthropoid  Simice  of  Africa, 
that,  unless  the  belief  has  been  transferred  from  the  one 
continent  to  the  other,  (a  circumstance  little  probable, 
when  we  think  of  the  seat  of  the  report,  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  forests  of  Venezuela,)  their  adduction  gives  a 


THE  WILD  MAN  OF  AMEEICA.  281 

measure  of  authority  to  the  statement;  while  the  third 
would  be  a  very  natural  inference  from  such  ferocity  as 
animates  the  gorilla.  Both  Indians  and  missionaries 
firmly  believe  in  the  existence  of  this  dreaded  creature, 
which  they  call  vasitri,  or  "  the  great  devil."  Humboldt 
suggests  that  the  original  of  what  he  boldly  calls  "  the 
fable,"  may  exist  in  the  person  of  "  one  of  those  large 
bears,  the  footsteps  of  which  resemble  those  of  man,  and 
which  are  believed  in  every  country  to  attack  women  ;" 
and  he  seems  to  claim  credit  for  being  the  only  person 
to  doubt  the  existence  of  the  great  anthropomorphous 
monkey  of  America.  But  it  might  be  permitted,  in  return, 
to  ask  what  "large  bear"  is  known  to  inhabit  Venezuela ; 
and  whether  it  is  true  that  bears'  footsteps  have  a  signal 
resemblance  to  those  of  men  ;  and  that  bears  specially 
attack  women.  Is  not  such  a  bear  in  South  America  quite 
as  gratuitous  as  the  monkey  himself  ?  And,  since  species 
of  Quadrumana  are  characteristic  of  the  forests  of  that 
region,  may  it  not  be  possible  that  some  one  rivalling 
man  in  stature  and  strength,  may  there  exist,  as  well  as 
in  Africa  and  the  Oriental  Archipelago?  The  mighty 
gorilla  himself  has  only  just  been  introduced  to  us. 

The  immense,  almost  continental,  islands  of  the  eastern 
hemisphere,  Java,  Sumatra,  Borneo;  and,  above  all,  Papua, 
hold,  it  is  likely,  more  unknown  animals  than  the  Western 
Continent.  Yet  the  r'qmark  just  made  will  hold  gocd 
here  also, — that  we  may  rather  expect  new  species  of  well- 
known  genera,  than  any  really  new  forms.  Again,  nearly 
half  of  the  Australian  continent  is  within  the  tropics,  and 


282  THE  UNKNOWN. 

this  is  absolutely  virgin  ground  to  the  naturalist ;  but 
what  we  know  of  the  poverty  of  the  Australian  fauna  does 
not  encourage  any  extravagant  expectation  of  novelties, 
even  from  so  vast  an  expanse  of  intertropical  country : 
some  new  genera  of  marsupial  mammalia,  and  a  good 
many  birds  and  reptiles,  may  possibly  remain  to  be  dis- 
covered. Papua,  if  it  is  indeed  continuous  land  and  not 
a  group  of  islands,  is  the  most  promising  region  in  this 
quarter  to  the  naturalist :  it  is  a  land  of  hope,  immense 
in  area,  and  covered  with  virgin  forest,  producing  birds 
and  insects  the  most  magnificent  in  the  world,  and  yet 
only  just  glimpsed  here  and  there  on  the  coast.  We  may 
expect  great  things  from  it  when  explored ;  and  cannot 
but  hope  that  Mr  Wallace,  whose  longings  have  just  been 
recorded,  may  yet  find  opportunity,  with  safety  to  himself, 
of  satisfying  the  desire  of  his  heart. 

The  interior  of  China  is  a  great  region  scarcely  seen  by  an 
European  eye ;  and  its  mountainous  districts  especially  are 
doubtless  rich  in  animal  and  vegetable  productions  as  yet 
unknown  to  science.  But  the  incredibly  crowded  condi- 
tion of  its  human  population,  and  the  diligence  with  which 
every  available  inch  of  land  is  cultivated,  are  circum- 
stances which  militate  against  the  existence  of  wild  ani- 
mals and  plants.*  Japan  will  probably  fall  under  the 

*  Mr  Wallace,  writing  from  Lombok,  one  of  the  Sunda  Isles,  removed 
but  a  few  degrees  from  the  equator,  thus  complains  of  the  antagonism 
of  cultivation  to  natural  history  : — "  There  is  nothing  but  dusty  roads 
and  paddy  fields  for  miles  around,  producing  no  insects  or  birds  worth 
collecting.  It  is  really  astonishing,  and  will  be  almost  incredible  to 
many  persons  at  homp,  that  a  tropical  country,  when  cultivated,  should 


IKDIA — MADAGASCAK — AFRICA.  283 

same  conditions ;  and,  in  a  less  degree,  the  further  penin- 
sula of  India.  But  of  this  last  considerable  portions  are 
mountainous,  well  watered  with  great  rivers,  and  covered 
with  forests  ;  all  circumstances  favourable  to  natural  his- 
tory. The  jealousy  of  the  native  governments  has  tended 
to  shut  up  these  regions  from  Europeans,  and  we  may 
reasonably  expect  that  important  discoveries  may  yet  re- 
main in  the  immense  intertropical  countries  of  Cochin 
China,  Cambodia,  Siam,  Laos,  and  Burmah ;  countries 
where  the  elephant  attains  his  most  colossal  dimensions, 
where  the  two-horned  rhinoceros  roams  the  jungle,  and 
where  the  camphor  and  the  gutta-percha  grow. 

Madagascar  is  another  land  of  promise.  Here,  too, 
mountain  and  forest  prevail ;  situation  is  favourable ;  and 
we  know  almost  nothing  of  the  interior;  It  appears  to 
be  remarkably  destitute  of  the  greater  Mammalia,  but  Mr 
Ellis's  late  researches  shew  how  rich  it  is  in  strange  forms 
of  vegetation  ;  and  doubtless  it  will  prove  to  be  the  home 
of  many  unknown  birds,  reptiles,  and  insects. 

Africa  is  the  land  of  wild  beasts.     The  grandest  forms 

produce  so  little  for  the  collector.  The  worst  collecting-ground  in 
England  would  produce  ten  times  r.s  many  species  of  beetles  as  can  be 
found  here;  and  even  our  common  English  butterflies  are  finer  and 
more  numerous  than  those  of  Ampanam  in  the  present  dry  season.  A 
walk  of  several  hours  with  my  net  will  produce,  perhaps,  two  or  three 
species  of  Chrysomela,  and  Coccinella,  and  a  Cicindela,  and  two  or  three 
Hcmiptera  and  flies ;  and  every  day  the  same  species  will  occur.  In 
an  uncultivated  district  which  I  have  visited,  in  the  south  part  of  the 
island,  I  did  indeed  find  insects  rather  more  numerous,  but  two  months' 
assiduous  collecting  have  only  produced  me  eight  species  of  Coleoptera. 
Why,  there  is  not  a  spot  in  England  where  the  same  number  could  not 
be  obtained  in  a  few  days  in  spring." — Zoologist,  p.  5415. 


284  THE  UNKNOWN. 

of  the  terrestrial  creation  have  their  habitation  in  that 
continent.  The  elephant,  the  hippopotamus,  several  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  rhinoceros,  the  zebra,  the  quagga,  the 
giraffe ;  multitudes  of  antelopes,  some  of  them  of  colossal 
dimensions ;  the  buffalo  ;  the  gorilla,  the  chimpanzee,  the 
mandril,  and  other  baboons  and  monkeys ;  the  lion,  the 
panther,  the  leopard ; — these  are  only  the  more  prominent 
of  the  quadrupeds  which  roam  the  plains  and  woods  of 
Africa.  Thinly  peopled  and  little  cultivated;  a  region 
enclosed  between  sixty  degrees  of  latitude,  bisected  by  the 
equator,  and  (in  its  widest  part)  between  as  many  of  lon- 
gitude ;  of  which,  perhaps,  more  than  three-fourths  are 
only  now  just  beginning  to  be  penetrated  by  the  straggling 
foot  of  the  European  explorer  and  missionary ; — what  may 
we  not  expect  of  the  vast,  the  uncouth,  the  terrible,  among 
the  creatures  which  lurk  as  yet  unsuspected  in  the  teem- 
ing wilds  of  Central  Africa  ?  Perhaps  less,  however,  after 
all,  than  at  first  view  appears  probable.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  explorations  of  the  adventurous  Livingstone  from 
the  south,  and  of  Earth  and  others  from  the  north — ex- 
plorations which  have  immensely  diminished  the  extent 
of  absolutely  unknown  land — have  contributed  almost 
nothing  to  what  we  previously  knew  of  the  natural  his- 
tory of  the  continent.  The  most  important  recent  addi- 
tion to  zoology  is,  undoubtedly,  the  gorilla ;  but  this 
discovery  was  not  the  result  of  geographic  extension,  the 
animal  inhabiting  the  forests  of  a  line  of  coast  frequented 
for  centuries  by  European  traders.  The  great  pioneers 
alluded  to  were  not  strictly  naturalists,  it  is  true;  and 


THE  UNICORN.  285 

their  immediate  object  was  not  to  make  discoveries  in 
zoology ;  nay,  their  interest  would  lie  in  avoiding,  so  far 
as  possible,  the  haunts  of  unknown  savage  animals ;  but, 
in  the  case  of  Dr  Livingstone  particularly,  his  frequent 
encounters  with  such  as  were  already  well  known,  and  his 
intelligent  spirit  of  inquiry,  leave  no  room  for  supposing 
that  any  conspicuous  forms  inhabit  the  regions  through 
which  he  penetrated,  different  from  those. 

I  am  therefore  inclined  to  believe,  that  whatever  dis- 
coveries of  importance  are  yet  to  be  made  in  African 
zoology,  will  be  in  the  very  central  district ;  the  region, 
that  is,  which  lies  south  of  Lake  Tchad  and  Abyssinia, 
and  extends  to  the  equator.  There  is  reason  to  suppose 
that  lofty  mountain-chains  exist  here,  and  geographical 
discovery  has  not  yet  even  approached  these  parts.  Many 
forms  of  high  interest,  and  some  of  them  of  vast  dimen- 
sions, may  yet  be  hidden  there. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  an  animal  of  ancient  renown, 
and  one  in  which  England  has  (or  ought  to  have)  a  pecu- 
liar interest,  resides  in  the  region  just  indicated.  I  refer 
to  one  of  the  supporters  of  Britain's  shield,  the  famed 
Unicorn.  We  may  not,  to  be  sure,  find  him  exactly  what 
the  heraldic  artists  delight  to  represent  him — a  sort  of 
mongrel  between  a  deer  and  a  horse,  with  cloven  hoofs,  a 
tuft-tipped  tail,  and  a  horn  spirally  twisted  to  a  point ; 
but  there  may  be  the  original  of  the  traditionary  portrait 
of  which  this  is  the  gradually  corrupted  copy. 

Dr  Andrew  Smith,  an  able  and  sober  zoologist,  who 
has  investigated  with  much  enterprise  and  success  th& 


286  THE  UNKNOWN. 

zoology  of  South  Africa,  has  collected  a  good  deal  of  in« 
formation  about  a  one-horned  animal  which  is  yet  unknown 
to  Europeans,  and  which  appears  to  occupy  an  interme- 
diate rank  between  the  massive  rhinoceros  and  the  lighter 
form  of  the  horse.  Cavassi,  cited  by  Labat,  heard  of  such 
a  beast  in  Congo  under  the  name  of  A  bada ;  and  Ruppel 
mentions  it  as  commonly  spoken  of  in  Kordofan,  where  it 
is  called  Nillekma,  and  sometimes  A  rase — that  is,  uni- 
corn. Mr  Freeman,  the  excellent  missionary  whose  name 
is  so  intimately  connected  with  Madagascar,  received  the 
most  particular  accounts  of  the  creature  from  an  intelli- 
gent native  of  a  region  lying  northward  from  Mozambique. 
According  to  this  witness,  an  animal  called  the  Ndzoo- 
dzoo  is  by  no  means  rare  in  Makooa.  It  is  about  the 
size  of  a  horse,  extremely  fleet  and  strong.  A  single  horn 
projects  from  its  forehead  from  two  feet  to  two  and  a-half 
feet  in  length.  This  is  said  to  be  flexible  when  the  animal 
is  asleep,  and  can  be  curled  up  at  pleasure,  like  an  ele- 
phant's proboscis ;  but  it  becomes  stiff  and  hard  under 
the  excitement  of  rage.  It  is  extremely  fierce,  invariably 
attacking  a  man  whenever  it  discerns  him.  The  device 
adopted  by  the  natives  to  escape  from  its  fury,  is  to  climb 
a  thick  and  tall  tree  out  of  sight.  If  the  enraged  animal 
ceases  to  see  his  enemy,  he  presently  gallops  away ;  but,  if 
he  catches  sight  of  the  fugitive  in  a  tree,  he  instantly  com- 
mences an  attack  on  the  tree  with  his  frontal  horn,  boring 
and  ripping  it  till  he  brings  it  down,  when  the  wretched 
man  is  presently  gored  to  death.  If  the  tree  is  not  very 
bulky,  the  perseverance  of  the  creature  usually  succeeds 


THE  UNICOKN.  28? 

in  overturning  it.  His  fury  spends  itself  in  goring  and 
mangling  the  carcase,  as  he  never  attempts  to  devour  it. 
The  female  is  altogether  without  a  horn.* 

When  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  tropic,  Dr  Smith 
himself  heard  reports  of  a  similar  creature  inhabiting  the 
country  north  of  that  parallel.  The  persons  who  professed 
to  be  personally  familiar  with  it,  as  well  as  a  new  kind  of 
rhinoceros  allied  to  R.  Keitloa,  were  only  visitors  in  the 
country  it  was  said  to  inhabit,  and,  therefore,  were  unable 
to  afford  any  very  circumstantial  evidence.  It  was,  how- 
ever, described  as  very  different  from  any  species  of  rhi- 
noceros they  had  ever  seen,  with  a  single  long  horn  situated 
towards  the  forehead.  Dr  Smith  then  cites  the  particu- 
lars given  by  Mr  Freeman,  introducing  them  with  the 
following  just  observations  : — 

"  Now,  though  descriptions  of  objects  by  such  persons 
are  often  inaccurate,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  not 
having  been  favourably  situated  for  making  correct  obser- 
vations, as  well  as  from  a  deficiency  of  language  calculated 
to  convey  the  information  they  actually  possess,  I  have 
always  remarked,  that  even  a  hasty  examination  seemed 
to  supply  the  savage  with  more  accurate  notions  of  the 
general  character  of  animals,  than  it  did  the  civilised 
man  ;  and,  therefore,  I  do  not  despair  of  species  such  as 
these  mentioned  being  yet  discovered.  It  is  in  regard  to 
the  species  with  the  single  horn  that  we  experience  the 
greatest  hesitation  in  receiving  their  evidence  as  credible ; 
and  therefore,  it  is  agreeable  to  have  it  corroborated  by 

*  South  Afr.  Christian  Recorder,  voL  i. 


288  THE  UNKNOWN. 

the  testimony  of  a  man  from  a  very  different  part  of  the 
country,  as  obtained  and  published  by  a  missionary  of 
great  research,  who  resided  a  long  time  in  Madagascar."* 
The  rude  drawings  made  by  savages  are  often  faithful 
delineations  of  the  salient  features  of  the  objects  familiar 
to  them.  Sir  J.  Barrow,  in  his  Travels  in  Africa,  has 
given  the  head  of  an  unicorn,  answering  well  to  the  ndzoo- 
dzoo,  which  was  copied  from  a  charcoal  sketch  made  by  a 
Caffre  in  the  interior  of  a  cavern.  The  copy  was  made  by 
Daniell ;  and  Colonel  Hamilton  Smith  mentions  having 
seen,  among  the  papers  of  this  artist,  another  drawing 
likewise  copied  from  the  walls  of  an  African  cave.  In  this 
were  represented,  with  exceedingly  characteristic  fidelity, 
several  of  the  common  antelopes  of  the  country,  such  as  a 
group  of  elands,  the  hartebeest,  and  the  springbok;  while 
among  them  appeared,  with  head  and  shoulders  towering 
above  the  rest,  an  animal  having  the  general  character  of 
a  rhinoceros,  but,  in  form,  lighter  than  a  wild  bull,  having 
an  arched  neck,  and  a  long  nasal  horn  projecting  in  the 
form  of  a  sabre.  "  This  drawing,"  observes  the  Colonel, 
"  is  no  doubt  still  extant,  and  should  be  published ;  but,  in 
confirmation  of  the  opinion  that  truth  exists  to  a  certain 
extent  in  the  foregoing  remarks,  it  may  be  observed  that 
we  have  seen,  we  believe  in  the  British  Museum,  a  horn 
brought  from  Africa,  unlike  those  of  any  known  species 
of  rhinoceros :  it  is  perfectly  smooth  and  hard,  about 
thirty  inches  in  length,  almost  equally  thick  throughout, 
not  three  inches  in  its  greatest  diameter,  nor  less  than 

*  Illustr.  of  Zool.  of  South  Ajrica. 


THE  TTNICOEN  IN  KOEDOFAN.  289 

in  its  smaller,  and  rather  sharp  pointed  at  top :  from  the 
narrowness  of  the  base,  its  great  length  and  weight,  the 
horn  must  evidently  stand  nioveable  on  the  nasal  bones, 
until  excitement  renders  the  muscular  action  more  rigid, 
and  the  coriaceous  sole  which  sustains  it  more  firm, — cir- 
cumstances which  may  explain  the  repeated  assertion  of 
natives,  that  the  horn,  or  rather  the  agglutinated  hair 
which  forms  that  instrument,  is  flexible.* 

Much  more  recently,  accounts  have  reached  Europe  of 
the  same  nature,  confirmatory  of  the  former,  inasmuch  as 
much  of  the  value  of  such  evidence  consists  in  its  cumu- 
lative character ;  but  still  only  hearsay  report.  M.  Antoine 
d'Abbadie,  writing  to  the  Athenaeum  from  Cairo,  gives  the 
following  account  of  an  animal  new  to  European  science, 
which  account  he  had  received  from  Baron  Von  Mliller, 
who  had  recently  returned  to  that  city  from  Kordofan: — 
"At  Melpes,  in  Kordofan,"  said  the  Baron,  "where  I 
stopped  some  time  to  make  my  collections,  I  met,  on  the 
17th  of  April  1848,  a  man  who  was  in  the  habit  of  selling 
to  me  specimens  of  animals.  One  day  he  asked  me  if  I 
wished  also  for  an  A'nasa,  which  he  described  thus : — It 
is  the  size  of  a  small  donkey,  has  a  thick  body  and  thin 
bones,  coarse  hair,  and  tail  like  a  boar.  It  has  a  long 
horn  on  its  forehead,  and  lets  it  hang  when  alone,  but 
erects  it  immediately  on  seeing  an  enemy.  It  is  a  formid- 
able weapon,  but  I  do  not  know  its  exact  length.  The 
A'nasa  is  found  not  far  from  here,  (Melpes,)  towards  the 
S.S.W.  I  have  seen  it  often  in  the  wild  grounds,  where  the 

*  Cyclop.  Bibl.  Lit.,  Art.  REEM. 
T 


290  THE  UNKNOWN. 

negroes  kill  it,  and  carry  it  home  to  make  shields  from 
its  skin. 

"N.B. — This  man  was  well  acquainted  with  the  rhino- 
ceros, which  he  distinguished,  under  the  name  of  Fetit, 
from  the  A'nasa.  On  June  the  14th  I  was  at  Kursi, 
also  in  Kordofan,  and  met  there  a  slave-merchant  who 
was  not  acquainted  with  my  first  informer,  and  gave  me 
spontaneously  the  same  description  of  the  A'nasa,  adding 
that  he  had  killed  and  eaten  one  not  long  ago,  and  that  its 
flesh  was  well  flavoured/'  * 

Almost  as  little  known  as  the  heart  of  Africa  are  the 
depths  of  ocean.  The  eye  penetrates  in  the  clear  crystal- 
line sea  a  few  fathoms  down,  and  beholds  mailed  and 
glittering  forms  flitting  by ;  the  dredge  gathers  its  scrap- 
ings ;  divers  plunge  out  of  sight,  and  bring  up  pearls ; 
and  the  sounding-lead  goes  down,  down,  down,  hundreds 
of  fathoms,  and  when  it  comes  up,  we  gaze  with  eager 
eyes  to  see  what  adheres  to  the  tallow  "  arming  ;"  the  tiny 
shells,  the  frustules  of  diatoms,  even  the  atoms  of  coral 
sand, — curious  to  learn  what  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep. 
But,  after  all,  it  is  much  like  the  brick  which  the  Greek 
fool  carried  about  as  a  sample  of  the  house  he  had  to  let. 

Who  can  penetrate  into  the  depths  of  the  ocean  to  trace 
the  arrowy  course  of  the  mailed  and  glittering  beings 
that  shoot  along  like  animated  beams  of  light  ?  Who  can 
follow  them  to  their  rocky  beds  and  coral  caverns  ?  The 
wandering  mariner  sees  with  interested  curiosity  the  flying- 
fishes  leaping  in  flocks  from  the  water,  and  the  eager 

*  Athencevm,  Jan.  3849. 


REVELATIONS  OF  THE  AQUARIUM.  291 

bonito  rushing  after  them  in  swift  pursuit ;  but  who  can 
tell  what  the  flying-fish  is  doing  when  not  pursued,  or  how 
the  bonito  is  engaged  when  the  prey  is  not  before  him  ? 
How  many  pleasing  traits  of  conjugal  or  parental  attach- 
ment the  waves  of  the  fathomless  sea  may  conceal,  we 
know  not :  what  ingenious  devices  for  self-protection ; 
what  structures  for  the  concealment  of  eggs  or  offspring ; 
what  arts  of  attack  and  detence  ;  what  manceuvrings  and 
stratagems  ;  what  varied  exhibitions  of  sagacity,  fore- 
thought, and  care  ;  what  singular  developments  of  in- 
stinct ; — who  shall  tell? 

The  aquarium  has,  indeed,  already  enlarged  our  acquaint- 
ance with  the  curious  creatures  that  inhabit  the  waters ; 
and  not  a  few  examples  of  those  habits  and  instincts  that 
constitute  animal  biography,  have  by  this  means  been 
brought  to  light.  Much  more  will  doubtless  be  learned 
by  the  same  instrumentality ;  but  there  will  still  remain 
secrets  which  the  aquarium  will  be  powerless  to  resolve. 
From  its  very  nature  it  can  deal  only  with  the  small, 
and  those  which  are  content  with  little  liberty ;  for  the 
multitude  of  large,  unwieldy,  swift-finned  races,  which 
shoot  athwart  the  deep,  and  for  the  countless  hosts  of  tiny 
things,  to  whose  organisation  even  the  confinement  of  a 
vessel  is  speedy  death,  we  must  find  some  other  device 
before  we  can  cultivate  acquaintance  with  them. 

It  is  true,  we  can  put 'together  a  goodly  number  of  indi- 
vidual objects,  which  various  accidents  have  from  time  to 
time  revealed  to  us  from  the  depths,  and  form  them  into 
an  imaginary  picture.  Schleiden  has  done  this,  and  a 


292  THE 

lovely  delineation  lie  has  made.  You  have  only  to  gaze 
on  it,  to  admire  it :  I  would  not  abate  your  admiration ; 
I  admire  it  too  : — but  remember,  after  all,  it  is  but  a  fancy 
sketch  of  the  unknown ;  it  is  only  "founded  on  fact/' 

"  We  dive,"  he  observes,  "  into  the  liquid  crystal  of  the 
Indian  Ocean,  and  it  opens  to  us  the  most  wondrous 
enchantments  of  the  fairy  tales  of  our  childhood's  dreams. 
The  strangely  branching  thickets  bear  living  flowers. 
Dense  masses  of  Meandrinas  and  Astrseas  contrast  with 
the  leafy,  cup-shaped  expansions  of  the  Explanarias,  the 
variously-ramified  Madrepores,  which  are  now  spread  out 
like  fingers,  now  rise  in  trunk-like  branches,  and  now 
display  the  most  elegant  array  of  interlacing  branches. 
The  colouring  surpasses  everything :  vivid  green  alternates 
with  brown  or  yellow ;  rich  tints  of  purple,  from  pale  red- 
brown  to  the  deepest  blue.  Brilliant  rosy,  yellow,  or 
peach-coloured  Nullipores  overgrow  the  decaying  masses, 
and  are  themselves  interwoven  with  the  pearl-coloured 
plates  of  the  Retipores,  resembling  the  most  delicate  ivory 
carvings.  Close  by,  wave  the  yellow  and  lilac  fans,  per- 
forated like  trellis-work,  of  the  Gorgonias.  The  clear 
sand  of  the  bottom  is  covered  with  the  thousand  strano-e 

o 

forms  and  tints  of  the  sea-urchins,  and  star-fishes.  The 
leaf -like  Mustras  and  Escharas  adhere  like  mosses  and 
lichens  to  the  branches  of  the  corals ;  the  yellow,  green, 
and  purple-striped  Limpets  cling  like  monstrous  cochineal 
insects  upon  their  trunks.  Like  gigantic  cactus-blossoms, 
sparkling  in  the  most  ardent  colours,  the  Sea-anemones 
expand  their  crowns  of  tentacles  upon  the  broken  rocks, 


US  DEE  THE  WATERS.  293 

or  more  modestly  embellish  the  bottom,  looking  like  bedg 
of  variegated  ranunculuses.  Around  the  blossoms  of  the 
coral  shrubs  play  the  humming-birds  of  the  ocean, — little 
fish  sparkling  with  red  or  blue  metallic  glitter,  or  gleam- 
ing in  golden  green,  or  in  the  brightest  silvery  lustre. 

"  Softly,  like  spirits  of  the  deep,  the  delicate  milk-white 
or  bluish  bells  of  the  jelly-fishes  float  through  this  charmed 
world.  Hero  the  gleaming  violet  and  gold-green  Isabelle, 
and  the  flaming  yellow,  black,  and  vermilion-striped 
Coquette,  chase  their  prey ;  there  the  band-fish  shoots, 
snake-like,  through  the  thicket,  like  a  long  silver  ribbon, 
glittering  with  rosy  and  azure  hues.  Then  come  the 
fabulous  cuttle-fish,  decked  in  all  colours  of  the  rainbow, 
but  marked  by  no  definite  outline,  appearing  and  dis- 
appearing, intercrossing,  joining  company  and  parting 
again,  in  most  fantastic  ways ;  and  all  this  in  the  most 
rapid  change,  and  amid  the  most  wonderful  play  of  light 
and  shade,  altered  by  every  breath  of  wind,  and  every 
slight  curling  of  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  When  day 
declines,  and  the  shades  of  night  lay  hold  upon  the  deep, 
this  fantastic  garden  is  lighted  up  in  new  splendour. 
Millions  of  glowing  sparks,  little  microscopic  Medusas  and 
Crustaceans,  dance  like  glow-worms  through  the  gloom. 
The  Sea-feather,  which  by  daylight  is  vermilion-coloured, 
waves  in  a  greenish,  phosphorescent  light.  Every  corner 
of  it  is  lustrous.  Parts  which  by  day  were  dull  and 
brown,  and  retreated  from  the  sight  amid  the  universal 
brilliancy  of  colour,  are  now  radiant  in  the  most  wonder- 
ful play  of  green,  yellow,  and  red  light ;  and  to  complete 


294  THE  UNKNOWN. 

the  wonders  of  the  enchanted  night,  the  silver  disc,  six 
feet  across,  of  the  moon-fish,*  moves,  slightly  luminous, 
among  the  crowd  of  little  sparkling  stars. 

"  The  most  luxuriant  vegetation  of  a  tropical  landscape 
cannot  unfold  as  great  wealth  of  form,  while  in  the  variety 
arid  splendour  of  colour  it  would  stand  far  behind  this 
garden  landscape,  which  is  strangely  composed  exclusively 
of  animals,  and  not  of  plants ;  for,  characteristic  as  the 
luxuriant  development  of  vegetation  of  the  temperate 
zones  is  of  the  sea-bottom,  the  fulness  and  multiplicity 
of  the  marine  Fauna  is  just  as  prominent  in  the  regions 
of  the  tropics.  Whatever  is  beautiful,  wondrous,  or  un- 
common in  the  great  classes  of  fish  and  echinoderms, 
jelly-fishes  and  polypes,  and  the  molluscs  of  all  kinds,  is 
crowded  into  the  warm  and  crystal  waters  of  the  tropical 
ocean, — rests  in  the  white  sands,  clothes  the  rough  cliffs, 
clings  where  the  room  is  already  occupied,  like  a  parasite, 
upon  the  first  comers,  or  swims  through  the  shallows  and 
depths  of  the  element — while  the  mass  of  the  vegetation 
is  of  a  far  inferior  magnitude.  It  is  peculiar  in  relation 
to  this,  that  the  law  valid  on  land,  according  to  which 
the  animal  kingdom,  being  better  adapted  to  accommodate 
itself  to  outward  circumstances,  has  a  greater  diffusion 
than  the  vegetable  kingdom  ; — for  the  Polar  Seas  swarm 
with  whales,  seals,  sea-birds,  fishes,  and  countless  numbers 
of  the  lower  animals,  even  where  every  trace  of  vegetation 
has  long  vanished  in  the  eternally  frozen  ice,  and  the  cool 
sea  fosters  no  sea-weed ; — that  this  law,  I  say,  holds  good 

*  Orlhagoriscus  mola. 


THE  DEEP  SEA.  295 

also  for  the  sea,  in  the  direction  of  its  depth ;  for  when 
we  descend,  vegetable  life  vanishes  much  sooner  than  the 
animal,  and,  even  from  the  depths  to  which  no  ray  of 
light  is  capable  of  penetrating,  the  sounding-lead  brings 
up  news  at  least  of  living  infusoria."  * 

Who  has  not  felt,  when  looking  over  a  boat's  side  into 
the  clear  crystal  depth,  a  desire  to  go  and  explore  ?  Even 
on  our  own  coasts,  to  see  the  rich  luxuriant  forests  of 
Laminaria  or  Alaria,  waving  their  great  brown  fronds 
to  and  fro,  over  which  the  shell-fishes  crawl,  and  on  which 
the  green  and  rosy-fingered  Anemones  expand  like  flowers, 
while  the  pipe-fishes  twine  about,  and  the  brilliant  wrasses 
dart  out  and  in,  decked  in  scarlet  and  green, — is  a  tempting 
sight,  and  one  which  I  have  often  gazed  on  with  admiration. 

"  Nothing  can  be  more  surprising  and  beautiful/'  says 
Sir  A.  de  Capell  Brooke,  "  than  the  singular  clearness  of 
the  water  of  the  Northern  Seas.  As  we  passed  slowly 
over  the  surface,  the  bottom,  which  here  was  in  general 
a  white  sand,  was  clearly  visible,  with  its  minutest  objects, 
where  the  depth  was  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  fathoms. 
During  the  whole  course  of  the  tour  I  made,  nothing 
appeared  to  me  so  extraordinary  as  the  inmost  recesses 
of  the  deep  unveiled  to  the  eye.  The  surface  of  the  ocean 
was  unruffled  by  the  slightest  breeze,  and  the  gentle 
splashing  of  the  oars  scarcely  disturbed  it.  Hanging  over 
the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  with  wonder  and  delight  I  gazed 
on  the  slowly  moving  scene  below.  Where  the  bottom 
was  sandy,  the  different  kinds  of  Asterias,  Echinus,  and 

*  Sckleiden's  Lectures,  pp.  403-406. 


296  THE  UNKNOWN. 

even  the  smallest  shells,  appeared  at  that  great  depth 
conspicuous  to  the  eye  ;  and  the  water  seemed,  in  some 
measure,  to  have  the  effect  of  a  magnifier,  by  enlarging 
the  objects  like  a  telescope,  and  bringing  them  seemingly 
nearer.  Now,  creeping  along,  we  saw,  far  beneath,  the 
rugged  sides  of  a  mountain  rising  towards  our  boat,  the 
base  of  which,  perhaps,  was  hidden  some  miles  in  the  great 
deep  below.  Though  moving  on  a  level  surface,  it  seemed 
almost  as  if  we  were  ascending  the  height  under  us ;  and 
when  we  passed  over  its  summit,  which  rose  in  appearance 
to  within  a  few  feet  of  our  boat,  and  came  again  to  the 
descent,  which  on  this  side  was  suddenly  perpendicular, 
and  overlooking  a  watery  gulf,  as  we  pushed  gently  over 
the  last  point  of  it,  it  seemed  as  if  we  had  thrown  ourselves 
down  this  precipice ;  the  illusion,  from  the  crystal  clear- 
ness of  the  deep,  actually  producing  a  start.  Now  we 
came  again  to  a  plain,  and  passed  slowly  over  the  sub- 
marine forests  and  meadows,  which  appeared  in  the 
expanse  below ;  inhabited,  doubtless,  by  thousands  of 
animals,  to  which  they  afford  both  food  and  shelter — 
animals  unknown  to  man  ;  and  I  could  sometimes  observe 
large  fishes  of  singular  shape  gliding  softly  through  the 
watery  thickets,  unconscious  of  what  was  moving  above 
them.  As  we  proceeded,  the  bottom  became  no  longer" 
visible ;  its  fairy  scenes  gradually  faded  to  the  view,  and 
were  lost  in  the  dark  green  depths  of  the  ocean/'* 

*  Travels  in  Norway,  p.  195. 


XII. 

THE   GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

A  SAILOR  lad,  after  his  first  voyage,  having  returned  to 
his  country  home,  was  eagerly  beset  for  wonders.  "What 
hast  t'  seen  in  f urrin  parts  ? "  Among  other  things  he 
reported  having  been  where  the  rum  flowed  like  rivers,  and 
sugar  formed  whole  mountains.  At  last,  his  inventive 
powers  being  exhausted,  he  began  to  speak  of  the  shoals 
of  tropical  flying-fishes,  a  phenomenon  which  his  familiar 
sight  had  long  ceased  to  regard  as  a  wonder.  But  here 
his  aged  mother  thought  reproof  needful ;  raising  her 
horn  spectacles,  and  frowning  in  virtuous  indignation,  she 
said,  "  Nae,  nae,  Jock !  mountains  o'  sugar  may  be,  and 
rivers  o'  rum  may  be ;  but  fish  to  flee  ne'er  can  be  !  " 

Old  Dame  Partlet  did  only  what  philosophers  in  all  ages 
have  done  ;  she  had  formed  her  schedule  of  physical 
possibilities,  outside  of  which  nature  could  not  go ;  nay, 
must  not  go.  It  so  happened,  however,  that  old  Dame 
Nature  was  obstreperous,  and  refused  to  be  confined  within 
possibilities  ;  and  the  lawless  fishes  fly  to  this  day,  in  spite 
of  Dame  Partlet's  virtuous  protest. 

There  are  several  questions  in  natural  science  which  are 
questiones  vexatce,  because  a  certain  amount  of  evidence 
of  facts  is  on  one  side,  and  a  certain  amount  of  presuinp- 


298  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

tion  of  impossibility  oil  the  other.  If  eye-witnesses  (or 
those  who  present  themselves  as  such)  could  decide  the 
points,  they  would  have  been  decided  long  ago  ;  but  those 
who  are  believed  to  be  best  acquainted  with  natural  laws 
claim  that  theoretic  impossibilities  should  overpower  even 
ocular  demonstration.  There  is  far  more  justice  in  this 
claim  than  appears  at  first  sight.  The  power  of  drawing 
correct  inferences  from  what  we  see,  and  even  of  knowing 
what  we  do  really  see,  and  what  we  only  imagine,  is  vastly 
augmented  by  the  rigorous  training  of  the  faculties  which 
long  habits  of  observing  certain  classes  of  phenomena 
induce  ;  and  every  man  of  science  must  have  met  with 
numberless  cases  in  which  statements  egregiously  false 
have  been  made  to  him  in  the  most  perfect  good  faith  ; 
his  informant  implicitly  believing  that  he  was  simply 
telling  what  he  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes.  A  person 
the  other  day  assured  me,  that  he  had  frequently  seen 
humming-birds  sucking  flowers  in  England  :  I  did  not  set 
him  down  as  a  liar,  because  he  was  a  person  of  indubitable 
honour ;  his  acquaintance  with  natural  history,  however, 
was  small,  and  he  had  fallen  into  the  very  natural  error 
of  mistaking  a  moth  for  a  bird. 

It  is  quite  proper  that,  when  evidence  is  presented  of 
certain  occurrences,  the  admission  of  which  would  over- 
turn what  we  have  come  to  consider  as  fixed  laws,  or 
against  which  there  exists  a  high  degree  of  antecedent 
improbability, — that  evidence  should  be  received  with 
great  suspicion.  It  should  be  carefully  sifted ;  possible 
causes  of  error  should  be  suggested ;  the  powers  of  the 


POSSIBILITIES  AND  PEOBABILITIES.  299 

observer  to  judge  of  the  facts  should  be  examined  ;  the 
actual  bounding  line  between  sensuous  perception  and 
mental  inference  should  be  critically  investigated;  and 
confirmatory,  yet  independent,  testimony  should  be  sought. 
Yet,  when  we  have  done  all  this,  we  should  ever  remember 
that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction ;  that  our  power  to 
judge  of  fixed  laws  is  itself  very  imperfect ;  and  that 
indubitable  phenomena  are  ever  and  anon  brought  to 
light,  which  compel  us  to  revise  our  code.  It  is  only  a 
few  years  since  the  existence  of  metamorphosis  in  the 
Crustacea,  when  first  announced,  was  scouted  as  absurd 
by  naturalists  of  high  reputation ;  and  the  wide  pre- 
valence of  what  is  called  Parthenogenesis  in  the  Insecta 
is  even  now  laughing  to  scorn  what  had  seemed  one  of 
the  most  immutable  laws  of  physiology.* 

I  propose,  then,  to  examine  a  few  questions  in  natural 
history,  the  very  mooting  of  which  *  is  enough  with  many 
to  convict  the  inquirer  of  wrong-headedness  and  credulity. 
High  authorities — deservedly  high,  and  entitled  to  speak 
ex  cathedra — have  pronounced  verdicts  on  them ;  and 
numbers  of  inferior  name  (as  usual,  going  far  beyond 
their  teachers,)  are  ready  to  treat  with  ridicule  those 
who  venture  to  think  that,  in  spite  of  the  auro?  e<£a,  any 

*  "Experience,"  says  Sir  J.  W.  Herschell,  "once  recognised  as  the 
fountain  of  all  our  knowledge  of  nature,  it  follows  that,  in  the  study  of 
nature  and  its  laws,  we  ought  at  once  to  make  up  our  minds  to  dismiss 
as  idle  prejudices,  or  at  least  suspend  as  premature,  any  pre-conceived 
notion  of  what  might,  or  what  (night  to  be,  the  order  of  nature  in  any 
proposed  case,  and  content  ourselves  with  observing,  as  a  plain  matter 
of  fact,  what  is." — Prelim.  Discourse,  p.  79. 


300  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

other  conclusion  can  possibly  be  tenable.  I  by  no  means 
wish  to  appear  as  a  partisan  in  treating  such  questions ; 
perversely  adducing  evidence  only  on  one  side,  and  cu- 
shioning or  distorting  what  might  be  said  on  the  other ; 
but  honestly  to  weigh  the  proof  on  both  sides,  so  that  the 
reader  may  be  able  to  determine  for  himself  to  which  is 
the  preponderance. 

Perhaps  the  most  renowned  of  all  these  doubtful  ques- 
tions is  the  existence  of  the  "  Sea-serpent." 

For  ages,  an  animal  of  immense  size  and  serpentine 
form  has  been  believed  to  inhabit  the  ocean,  though  to  be 
but  rarely  seen.  A  strong  conviction  of  its  existence  has 
always  prevailed  among  the  inhabitants  of  Norway  ;  and 
the  fjords  or  deep  inlets  which  indent  the  coast-line  of 
that  mountainous  country  are  the  situations  in  which  it 
is  reported  to  have  been  most  frequently  seen.  The  coasts 
of  New  England,  in  the  United  States,  are  also  said  to 
have  been  favoured  with  frequent  visits  from  the  august 
stranger  during  the  present  century  ;  and,  even  recently, 
reports  by  many  witnesses  of  unimpeachable  character 
have  been  published  of  its  appearance  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean,  far  from  land,  in  various  latitudes. 

Bishop  Pontoppidan,  who,  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  wrote  a  natural  history  of  Norway,  his  native 
country,  collected  together  a  considerable  mass  of  testi- 
mony to  the  occasional  appearance  of  an  immense  serpen- 
tiform  marine  animal  off  the  shores  of  northern  Europe 
before  that  period.  Among  other  evidence,  he  adduces 
that  of  Captain  de  Ferry,  of  the  Norwegian  navy,  who  saw 


TEE  J6EA-SEKPE.NT  OF  NORWAY.  301 

the  animal,  when  in  a  boat  rowed  by  eight  men.  near 
Molde,  in  August  1747.  The  declaration  was  confirmed 
by  oath,  taken  before  a  magistrate,  by  two  of  the  crew. 
The  animal  was  described  as  of  the  general  form  of  a 
serpent,  stretched  on  the  surface  in  receding  coils  or 
undulations,  with  the  head,  which  resembled  that  of  a 
horse,  elevated  some  two  feet  out  of  the  water. 

The  public  papers  of  Norway,  during  the  summer  of 
1846,  were  occupied  with  statements  to  the  following 
effect  :— 

Many  highly  respectable  persons,  and  of  unimpeached 
veracity,  in  the  vicinity  of  Christiansand  and  Molde,  [the 
reader  will  observe  that  it  is  the  same  locality  as  that 
mentioned  by  Captain  de  Perry,  a  hundred  years  before,] 
report  that  they  have  lately  seen  the  marine  serpent.  It 
has  been,  for  the  most  part,  observed  in  the  larger  fjords, 
rarely  in  the  open  sea.  In  the  fjord  of  Christiansand  it 
is  believed  to  have  been  seen  every  year,  but  only  in  the 
hottest  part  of  the  summer,  and  when  the  sea  has  been 
perfectly  unruffled. 

Affidavits  of  numerous  persons  are  then  given  in  de- 
tail, which,  with  some  discrepancies  in  minute  particulars, 
agree  in  testifying  that  an  animal  of  great  length  (from 
about  fifty  to  about  a  hundred  feet)  had  been  seen  by 
them  at  various  times — in  many  cases  more  than  once. 
The  head,  which  was  occasionally  elevated,  was  compared 
for  size  to  a  ten-gallon  cask,  rather  pointed,  as  described 
by  one  witness  ;  by  another,  as  rounded.  All  agreed  that 
the  eyes  were  large  and  glaring ;  that  the  body  was  dark 


302  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

brown,  and  comparatively  slender;  and  that  a  diffusive 
mane  of  long  spreading  hair  waved  behind  the  head.  The 
movements  were  in  vertical  undulations,  according  to  pre- 
ponderating testimony ;  but  some  attributed  to  the  animal 
lateral  undulations  also.  The  deponents  were  of  various 
positions  in  society, — a  workman,  a  fisherman,  a  merchant, 
a  candidatus  theologice,  a  sheriff,  a  surgeon,  a  rector,  a 
curate,  &c. 

Later  in  the  season,  the  Rev.  P.  W.  Deinboll,  arch- 
deacon of  Molde,  published  the  following  statement: — 
"On  the  28th  of  July  1845,  J.  C.  Lund,  bookseller  and 
printer  ;  G-.  S.  Krogh,  merchant ;  Christian  Flang,  Lund's 
apprentice ;  and  John  Elgenses,  labourer ;  were  out  on 
Eomsdal-fjord,  fishing.  The  sea  was,  after  a  warm  sun- 
shiny day,  quite  calm.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, a  little  distance  from  shore,  near  the  ballast  place 
and  Molde  Hooe,  they  saw  a  large  marine  animal,  which 
slowly  moved  itself  forward;  as  it  appeared  to  them, 
with  the  help  of  two  fins,  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body 
nearest  the  head,  which  they  judged  from  the  boiling  of 
the  water  on  both  sides  of  it.  The  visible  part  of  the 
body  appeared  to  be  between  forty  and  fifty  feet  in  length, 
and  moved  in  undulations  like  a  snake.  The  body  was 
round  and  of  a  dark  colour,  and  seemed  to  be  several  ells 
(an  ell=two  feet)  in  thickness.  As  they  discerned  a 
waving  motion  in  the  water  behind  the  animal,  they  con- 
cluded that  part  of  the  body  was  concealed  under  water. 
That  it  was  one  connected  animal,  they  saw  plainly  from 
its  movement.  When  the  animal  was  about  one  hundred 


STATEMENT  OF  FOUR  NORWEGIANS.  303 

yards  from  the  boat,  they  noticed  tolerably  correctly  its 
fore-part,  which  ended  in  a  sharp  snout ;  its  colossal  head 
raised  itself  above  the  water  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle ; 
the  lower  part  was  not  visible.  The  colour  of  the  head 
was  dark  brown,  and  the  skin  smooth.  They  did  not 
notice  the  eyes,  or  any  mane  or  bristles  on  the  throat. 
When  the  serpent  came  about  a  musket-shot  near,  Lund 
fired  at  it,  and  was  certain  the  shots  hit  it  in  the  head. 
After  the  shot  he  dived,  but  came  up  immediately.  He 
raised  his  head  like  a  snake  preparing  to  dart  on  its  prey. 
After  he  had  turned  and  got  his  body  in  a  straight  line, 
which  he  appeared  to  do  with  great  difficulty,  he  darted 
like  an  arrow  against  the  boat.  They  reached  the  shore, 
and  the  animal,  perceiving  it  had  come  in  shallow  water, 
dived  immediately,  and  disappeared  in  the  deep. 

"  Such  is  the  declaration  of  these  four  men,  and  no  one 
has  any  cause  to  doubt  their  veracity,  or  imagine  that 
they  were  so  seized  with  fear,  that  they  could  not  observe 
what  took  place  so  near  them.  There  are  not  many  here, 
or  on  other  parts  of  the  Norwegian  coast,  who  longer 
doubt  the  existence  of  the  sea-serpent.  The  writer  of 
this  narrative  was  a  long  time  sceptical,  as  he  had  not 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  see  this  monster  of  the  deep ;  but 
after  the  many  accounts  he  has  read,  and  the  relations  he 
has  received  from  creditable  witnesses,  he  does  not  dare 
longer  to  doubt  the  existence  of  the  sea-serpent." 

That  I  may  bring  to  a  point  the  Norwegian  testimony 
on  the  subject,  I  add  here  a  statement  made  by  an  English 
gentleman,  and  published  under  the  signature  of  "  Oxoni- 


304  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

ensis  "  in  The  Times  for  November  4,  1848,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  celebrated  account  of  Captain  M'Quhae,  pre- 
sently to  be  given. 

"There  does  not  appear,"  says  this  writer,  "to  be  a 
single  well-authenticated  instance  of  these  monsters  having 
been  seen  in  any  southern  latitudes  ;  but  in  the  north  of 
Europe,  notwithstanding  the  fabulous  character  so  long 
Ascribed  to  Pontoppidan's  description,  I  am  convinced  that 
they  both  exist  and  are  frequently  seen.  During  three 
summers  in  Norway,  I  have  repeatedly  conversed  with  the 
natives  on  this  subject.  A  parish  priest,  residing  on  Roms- 
dal-fjord,  about  two  days'  journey  south  of  Drontheim — 
an  intelligent  person,  whose  veracity  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt — gave  me  a  circumstantial  account  of  one  which 
he  had  himself  seen.  It  rose  within  thirty  yards  of  the 
boat  in  which  he  was,  and  swam  parallel  with  it  for  a 
considerable  time.  Its  head  he  described  as  equalling  a 
small  cask  in  size,  and  its  mouth,  which  it  repeatedly 
opened  and  shut,  was  furnished  with  formidable  teeth ; 
its  neck  was  smaller,  but  its  body — of  which  he  supposed 
that  he  saw  about  half  on  the  surface  of  the  water — was 
not  less  in  girth  than  that  of  a  moderate-sized  horse. 
Another  gentleman,  in  whose  house  I  stayed,  had  also 
seen  one,  and  gave  a  similar  account  of  it ;  it  also  came 
near  his  boat  upon  the  fjord,  when  it  was  fired  at,  upon 
which  it  turned  and  pursued  them  to  the  shore,  which 
was  luckily  near,  when  it  disappeared.  They  expressed 
great  surprise  at  the  general  disbelief  attaching  to  the 
existence  of  these  animals  amongst  naturalists,  and  assured 


NORWEGIAN  EVIDENCE.  305 

me  that  there  was  scarcely  a  sailor  accustomed  to  those 
inland  lakes  who  had  not  seen  them  at  one  time  or 
another." 

The  Eev.  Alfred  Charles  Smith,  M.A.,  an  excellent 
naturalist,  who  passed  the  three  summer  months  of  1850 
in  Norway,  and  who  published  his  observations  in  a  series 
of  papers  in  the  Zoologist  for  that  and  the  following 
year,  thus  alludes  to  his  own  inquiries,  which,  if  they  add 
nothing  ro  the  amount  of  fact  accumulated,  add  weight 
to  the  testimonies  already  adduced.  "  I  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity," he  remarks,  "  of  making  inquiries  of  all  I  could 
see,  as  to  the  general  belief  in  the  country  regarding  the 
animal  in  question ;  but  all,  with  one  single  exception — 
naval  officers,  sailors,  boatmen,  and  fishermen — concurred 
in  affirming  most  positively  that  such  an  animal  did  exist, 
and  had  been  repeatedly  seen  off  their  coasts  and  fjords ; 
though  I  was  never  fortunate  enough  to  meet  a  man  who 
could  boast  of  having  seen  him  with  his  own  eyes.  All, 
however,  agreed  in  unhesitating  belief  as  to  his  existence 
and  frequent  appearance ;  and  all  seemed  to  marvel  very 
much  at  the  scepticism  of  the  English,  for  refusing  cre- 
dence to  what  to  the  minds  of  the  Norwegians  seemed  so 
incontrovertible.  The  single  exception  to  which  I  have 
alluded,  was  a  Norwegian  officer,  who  ridiculed  what  he 
called  the  credulity  or  gullibility  of  his  countrymen ; 
though  I  am  bound  to  add  my  belief,  that  he  did  this,  not 
from  any  decided  opinion  of  his  own,  but  to  make  a 
show  of  superior  shrewdness  in  the  eyes  of  an  Englishman, 
who,  he  at  once  concluded,  must  undoubtedly  disbelieve  the 

U 


306  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

existence  of  the  marine  monster.  That  Englishman,  how- 
ever, certainly  partakes  of  the  credulity  of  the  Northmen, 
and  cannot  withhold  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  some 
huge  inhabitant  of  those  northern  seas,  when,  to  his  mind, 
the  fact  of  his  existence  has  been  so  clearly  proved  by 
numerous  eye-witnesses,  many  of  whom  were  too  intelli- 
gent to  be  deceived,  and  too  honest  to  be  doubted."* 

In  1817,  the  Linnsean  Society  of  New  England  pub- 
lished a  "  Report  relative  to  a  large  marine  animal,  sup- 
posed to  be  a  serpent,  seen  near  Cape  Ann,  Massachusetts, 
in  August"  of  that  year.  A  good  deal  of  care  was  taken  to 
obtain  evidence,  and  the  depositions  of  eleven  witnesses  of 
fair  and  unblemished  characters  were  taken  on  the  matter, 
and  certified  on  oath  before  magistrates,  one  of  whom 
himself  saw  the  creature,  and  corroborated  the  statements 
of  the  deponents  on  the  most  important  points.  The 
serpent  form  was  attested  by  all,  and  the  colour,  a  dark 
brown,  mottled,  according  to  some,  with  white  on  the 
under  parts  of  the  head  and  neck.  The  length  was  vari- 
ously estimated,  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  feet.  No  ap- 
pearance of  mane  was  seen  by  any.  The  head  was  com- 
pared to  that  of  a  sea-turtle,  a  rattlesnake,  and  a  serpent 
generally ;  and,  for  size,  to  that  of  a  horse.  As  to  the 
form  of  the  body,  five  deponents  speak  of  dorsal  protuber- 
ances ;  four  declare  that  the  body  was  straight,  while  two 
do  not  moot  the  point.  The  mode  of  progression  is  gene- 
rally spoken  of  as  by  vertical  undulation,  "  like  that  of  a 
caterpillar/' — probably  a  looping  or  geometric  caterpillar 
*  Zoologist,  p.  3228. 


COLONEL  PEEKINS'S  EVIDENCE.  307 

is  meant.  The  magistrate  who  saw  the  animal,  and  to 
whom  the  body  appeared  straight,  considers  that  the  ap- 
pearance of  protuberances  was  due  to  the  vertical  bendings 
of  the  body  during  energetic  motion. 

That  there  were  other  witnesses  of  the  same  appearance 
of  the  stranger  in  1817,  was  generally  stated  at  the  time ; 
and  one  of  these,  whose  testimony  is  of  value,  was  brought 
out  by  the  report  of  Captain  M'Quhse,  and  the  correspond- 
ence that  ensued  upon  it.  In  the  Boston  (U.S.)  Daily 
Advertiser  for  November  25,  1848,  appeared  a  long 
communication  from  the  Hon.  T.  H.  Perkins  of  that  city, 
attesting  his  own  personal  observation  of  the  marine 
serpent  at  Gloucester  Harbour,  near  Cape  Ann,  in  1817. 
The  communication  mainly  consisted  of  a  copy  of  a  letter 
which  Colonel  Perkins  had  written  to  a  friend  in  1820. 

".  .  .  .  Wishing  to  satisfy  myself  on  a  subject  on  which 
there  existed  a  great  difference  of  opinion,  I  myself  visited 
Gloucester  with  Mr  Lee.  On  our  way  down  we  met 
several  persons  returning,  who  had  visited  the  place  where 
he  was  said  to  have  exhibited  himself,  and  who  reported 
to  us  that  he  had  not  been  seen  for  two  or  three  days 
past.  We,  however,  continued  our  route  to  Gloucester, 
though  with  fears  that  we  should  not  be  gratified  with  the 
sight  of  the  monster  which  we  sought.  I  satisfied  myself, 
from  conversation  with  several  persons  who  had  seen  him, 
that  the  report  in  circulation  was  not  a  fable.  All  the 
town  were,  as  you  may  suppose,  on  the  alert ;  and  almost 
every  individual,  both  great  and  small,  had  been  gratified, 
at  a  greater  or  less  distance,  with  a  sight  of  him.  The 


308  THE  GKEAT  UNKNOWN. 

weather  was  fine,  the  sea  perfectly  smooth,  and  Mr  Lee 
and  myself  were  seated  on  a  point  of  land  which  projects 
into  the  harbour,  and  about  twenty  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  water,  from  which  we  were  distant  about  fifty  or 
sixty  feet.  .... 

"In  a  few  moments  after  my  exclamation,  I  saw  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  harbour,  at  about  two  miles'  dis- 
tance from  where  I  had  first  seen,  or  thought  I  saw,  the 
snake,  the  same  object,  moving  with  a  rapid  motion  up  the 
harbour,  on  the  western  shore.  As  he  approached  us,  it 
was  easy  to  see  that  his  motion  was  not  that  of  the  com- 
mon snake,  either  on  the  land  or  in  the  water,  but  evidently 
the  vertical  movement  of  the  caterpillar.  As  nearly  as  I 
could  judge,  there  was  visible  at  a  time  about  forty  feet 
of  his  body.  It  was  not,  to  be  sure,  a  continuity  of  body, 
as  the  form  from  head  to  tail  (except  as  the  apparent 
bunches  appeared  as  he  moved  through  the  water)  was 
seen  only  at  three  or  four  feet  asunder.  It  was  very  evi- 
dent, however,  that  his  length  must  be  much  greater  than 
what  appeared,  as,  in  his  movement,  he  left  a  considerable 
wake  in  his  rear.  I  had  a  fine  glass,  and  was  within  from 
one-third  to  half  a  mile  of  him.  The  head  was  flat  in  the 
water,  and  the  animal  was,  as  far  as  I  could  distinguish, 
of  a  chocolate  colour.  I  was  struck  with  an  appearance 
in.  the  front  part  of  the  head  like  a  single  horn,  about 
nine  inches  to  a  foot  in  length,  and  of  the  form  of  a  mar- 
linespike.  There  were  a  great  many  people  collected  by 
this  time,  many  of  whom  had  before  seen  the  same  object, 
and  the  same  appearance.  From  the  time  I  first  -saw  him 


MR  MANSFIELD'S  OBSERVATION.  309 

until  he  passed  by  the  place  where  I  stood,  and  soon  after 
disappeared,  was  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 

"  I  left  the  place  fully  satisfied  that  the  reports  in  cir- 
culation, although  differing  in  details,  were  essentially 
correct.  I  returned  to  Boston,  and  having  made  my 
report,  I  found  Mrs  Perkins  and  my  daughters  disposed 
to  make  a  visit  to  Gloucester  with  me  when  the  return  of 
the  animal  should  be  again  announced.  A  few  days  after 
my  return  I  went  again  to  Cape  Ann  with  the  ladies ;  we 
had  a  pleasant  ride,  but  returned  ungratified  in  the  object 
which  carried  us  there. 

"  Whilst  at  Cape  Ann  I  talked  with  many  persons  who 
had  seen  the  serpent,  and  among  others  with  a  person 
of  the  name  of  Mansfield,  one  of  the  most  respectable 
inhabitants  of  the  town.  His  account  to  me  was,  that 
a  few  days  before,  as  he  was  taking  a  ride  with  his  wife  in 
a  chair,  the  road  taking  them  close  to  a  bank  which  over- 
looks the  harbour,  (and  is  nearly  a  perpendicular  preci- 
piece,)  he  saw  an  uncommon  appearance,  which  induced 
him  to  descend  from  the  carriage,  when  he  saw  the  sea- 
serpent,  in  which  until  then  he  had  been  an  unbeliever. 
The  animal  was  stretched  out,  partly  over  the  white  sandy 
beach,  which  had  four  or  five  feet  of  water  upon  it,  and 
lay  partly  over  the  channel.  He  desired  his  wife  to  get 
<!  at  of  the  chair,  which  she  did.  He  said  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  as  to  the  length  of  the  snake,  but  wished  the 
opinion  of  his  wife  on  the  same  subject.  He  asked  her 
what  she  should  consider  his  length ;  she  answered  that 
she  could  not  undertake  to  say  how  many  feet  in  length 


310  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN, 

he  was,  but  that  she  thought  him  as  long  as  the  wharf 
behind  their  house,  an  object  with  which  she  had  always 
been  familiar.  Mr  Mansfield  said  he  was  of  the  same 
opinion.  The  wharf  is  one  hundred  feet  in  length.  It  is 
to  be  observed  that  the  person  above  spoken  of  had  been 
such  an  unbeliever  in  the  existence  of  this  monster,  that 
he  had  not  given  himself  the  trouble  to  go  from  his  house 
to  the  harbour  when  the  report  was  first  made  of  such  an 
animal  being  there.  Subsequent  to  the  period  of  which 
I  have  been  speaking,  the  snake  was  seen  by  several  of 
the  crews  of  our  coasting  vessels,  and  in  some  instances 
within  a  few  yards.  Captain  Tappan,  a  person  well  known 
to  me,  saw  him  with  his  head  above  water  two  or  three 
feet,  at  times  moving  with  great  rapidity,  and  at  others 
slowly.  He  also  saw  what  explained  the  appearance  which 
I  have  described,  of  a  horn  on  the  front  of  the  head.  This 
was  doubtless  what  was  observed  by  Captain  Tappan  to 
be  the  tongue,  thrown  in  an  upright  position  from  the 
mouth,  and  having  the  appearance  which  I  have  given 
to  it. 

"  One  of  the  revenue  cutters,  whilst  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Cape  Ann,  had  an  excellent  view  of  him  at  a  few 
yards'  distance  ;  he  moved  slowly,  and  upon  the  approach 
of  the  vessel,  sank  and  was  seen  no  more." 

Though  the  position  and  character  of  some  of  these 
witnesses  add  weight  to  their  testimony,  and  seem  to 
preclude  the  possibility  of  their  being  either  deceived  or 
deceivers,  on  a  matter  which  depended  on  the  use  of  their 
eyes,  yet,  owing  to  a  habit  prevalent  in  the  United  States, 


SEEX  BY  FIVE  BEITISH  OFFICERS.  311 

of  supposing  that  there  is  somewhat  of  wit  in  gross 
exaggerations,  or  hoaxing  inventions,  we  do  naturally  look 
with  a  lurking  suspicion  on  American  statements,  when 
they  describe  unusual  or  disputed  phenomena.  It  may 
therefore  be  interesting  to  give  the  evidence  of  five  British 
officers,  to  the  serpent's  appearance  on  the  American 
coast,  some  fifteen  years  after  the  occurrence  last  men- 
tioned. 

"On  the  15th  of  May  1833,  a  party,  consisting  of 
Captain  Sullivan,  Lieutenants  Maclachlan  and  Malcolm 
of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  Lieutenant  Lyster  of  the  Artillery, 
and  Mr  Ince  of  the  Ordinance,  started  from  Halifax  in  a 
small  yacht  for  Mahone  Bay,  some  forty  miles  eastward, 
on  a  fishing  excursion.  The  morning  was  cloudy,  and 
the  wind  at  S.S.E.,  and  apparently  rising :  by  the  time  we 
reached  Chebucto  Head,  as  we  had  taken  no  pilot  with 
us,  we  deliberated  whether  we  should  proceed  or  turn 
back ;  but  after  a  consultation,  we  determined  on  the 
former,  having  lots  of  ports  on  our  lee.  Previous  to  our 
leaving  town,  an  old  man-of-war Vman  we  had  along  with 
us  busied  himself  in  inquiries  as  to  our  right  course  ;  ho 
was  told  to  take  his  departure  from  the  Bull  Rock  olf 
Pennant  Point,  and  that  a  W.N.W.  course  would  bring 
us  direct  on  Iron  Bound  Island,  at  the  entrance  of  Mahojie 
or  Mecklenburgh  Bay  :  he,  however,  unfortunately  told 
us  to  steer  W.S.W.,  nor  corrected  his  error  for  five  or  six 
hours  ;  consequently  we  had  gone  a  long  distance  oft'  the 
coast.  We  had  run  about  half  the  distance,  as  we  sup- 
posed, and  were  enjoying  ourselves  on  deck,  smoking  our 


312  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

cigars,  and  getting  our  tackle  ready  for  the  approaching 
campaign  against  the  salmon,  when  we  were  surprised  by 
the  sight  of  an  immense  shoal  of  grampuses,  which 
appeared  in  an  unusual  state  of  excitement,  and  which  in 
their  gambols  approached  so  close  to  our  little  craft,  that 
some  of  the  party  amused  themselves  by  firing  at  them 
with  rifles  ;  at  this  time  we  were  jogging  on  at  about  five 
miles  an  hour,  and  must  have  been  crossing  Margaret's 
Bay.  I  merely  conjecture  where  we  were,  as  we  had  not 
seen  land  since  a  short  time  after  leaving  Pennant  Bay. 
Our  attention  was  presently  diverted  from  the  whales  and 
'  such  small  deer/  by  an  exclamation  from  Bowling,  our 
man-of-war's-man,  who  was  sitting  to  leeward,  of,  '0 
sirs,  look  here  ! '  We  were  started  into  a  ready  compliance, 
and  saw  an  object  which  banished  all  other  thoughts,  save 
wonder  and  surprise. 

"  At  the  distance  of  from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  yards  on  our  starboard  bow,  we  saw  the  head 
and  neck  of  some  denizen  of  the  deep,  precisely  like  those 
of  a  common  snake,  in  the  act  of  swimming,  the  head  so 
far  elevated  and  thrown  forward  by  the  curve  of  the  neck, 
as  to  enable  us  to  see  the  water  under  and  beyond  it. 
The  creature  rapidly  passed,  leaving  a  regular  wake,  from 
the  commencement  of  which,  to  the  fore  part,  which  was 
out  of  water,  we  judged  its  length  to  be  about  eighty  feet ; 
and  this  within,  rather  than  beyond  the  mark.  We  were, 
of  course,  all  taken  aback  at  the  sight,  and,  with  staring 
eyes  and  in  speechless  wonder,  stood  gazing  at  it  for  full 
half  a  minute.  There  could  be  no  mistake,  no  delusion 


EVIDENCE  OF  FIVE  OFFICEES.  313 

and  we  were  all  perfectly  satisfied  that  we  had  been 
favoured  with  a  view  of  the  c  true  and  veritable  sea- 
serpent,'  which  had  been  generally  considered  to  have 
existed  only  in  the  brain  of  some  Yankee  skipper,  and 
treated  as  a  tale  not  much  entitled  to  belief.  Bowling's 
exclamation  is  worthy  of  record, — '  Well,  I  've  sailed  in  all 
parts  of  the  world,  and  have  seen  rum  sights  too  in  my 
time,  but  this  is  the  queerest  thing  I  ever  see!'  and  surely 
Jack  Dowling  was  right.  It  is  most  difficult  to  give 
correctly  the  dimensions  of  any  object  in  the  water.  The 
head  of  the  creature  we  set  down  at  about  six  feet  in 
length,  and  that  portion  of  the  neck  which  we  saw,  at  the 
same ;  the  extreme  length,  as  before  stated,  at  between 
eighty  and  one  hundred  feet.  The  neck  in  thickness 
equalled  the  bole  of  a  moderate  sized  tree.  The  head  and 
neck  of  a  dark  brown  or  nearly  black  colour,  streaked 
with  white  in  irregular  streaks.  I  do  not  recollect  seeing 
any  part  of  the  body. 

"  Such  is  the  rough  account  of  the  sea-serpent,  and  all 
the  party  who  saw  it  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  living, — 
Lyster  in  England,  Malcolm  in  New  South  Wales,  with 
his  regiment,  and  the  remainder  still  vegetating  in  Hali- 
fax. 
"  W.  SULLIVAN,  Captain,  Kifle  Brigade,  June  21,  1831. 

A.  MACLACHLAN,  Lieutenant,  ditto,      August  5,  1824 
G.  P.  MALCOLM,  Ensign,  ditto,  August  13,  1830. 

B.  O'NEAL  LYSTER,  Lieut.,  Artillery,        June  7,  1816. 
HENRY  INGE,  Ordnance  Store-keeper  at  Halifax."  * 

*  This  account  was  published  in  the  Zoologist  for  1847,  (page  1715:) 


314  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

I  now  come  to  an  incident,  which,  from  the  character  of 
the  witnesses,  the  captain,  officers,  and  crew  of  one  of  Her 
Majesty's  ships,  and  from  the  medium  through  which  it 
was  announced,  an  official  report  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admi- 
ralty,— commanded  great  notoriety  and  interest,  and  gave 
an  unwonted  impetus  to  the  investigation  of  the  question. 

The  Times  newspaper  of  October  9,  1848,  published  the 
following  paragraph  :  —  "  When  the  Dcedalus  frigate, 
Captain  M'Quhse,  which  arrived  at  Plymouth  on  the  4th 
instant,  was  on  her  passage  home  from  the  East  Indies, 
between  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  St  Helena,  her 
captain,  and  most  of  her  officers  and  crew,  at  four  o'clock 
one  afternoon,  saw  a  sea-serpent.  The  creature  was 
twenty  minutes  in  sight  of  the  frigate,  and  passed  under 
her  quarter.  Its  head  appeared  to  be  about  four  feet 
out  of  the  water,  and  there  was  about  sixty  feet  of  its 
body  in  a  straight  line  on  the  surface.  It  is  calculated 
that  there  must  have  been  under  water  a  length  of  thirty- 
three  or  forty  feet  more,  by  which  it  propelled  itself  at 
the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  The  diameter  of  the 
exposed  part  of  the  body  was  about  sixteen  inches,  and 
when  it  extended  its  jaws,  which  were  full  of  large  jagged 
teeth,  they  seemed  sufficiently  capacious  to  admit  of  a  tall 
man  standing  upright  between  them." 

and  the  editor  states  that  he  is  indebted  for  it  to  Mr  W.  H.  Ince,  who 
received  it  from  his  brother,  Commander  J.  M.  E.  Ince,  K.N.  It  was 
written  by  their  uncle,  one  of  the  eye-witnesses,  Mr  Henry  Ince,  the 
Ordnance  Store-keeper  at  Halifax,  in  Nova  Scotia.  The  dates  affixed 
to  the  names,  are  those  on  which  the  gentlemen  received  their  respec- 
tive commissions.  The  editor  is  not  aware  of  their  present  rank. 


CAPTAIN  M'QUELE'S  REPORT,  31 5 

Some  of  the  details  here  given  were  not  afterwards 
substantiated ;  but  popular  curiosity  was  excited.  The 
Admiralty  instantly  inquired  into  the  truth  of  the  state- 
ment, and  in  The  Times  of  the  13th  was  published  the 
gallant  captain's  official  reply  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  DAEDALUS, 
HAMOAZE,  Oct.  11. 

"  SlR, — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  this  date,  requiring 
information  as  to  the  truth  of  a  statement  published  in 
The  Times  newspaper,  of  a  sea-serpent  of  extraordinary 
dimensions  having  been  seen  from  Her  Majesty's  ship 
Dcedalus,  under  my  command,  on  her  passage  from  the 
East  Indies,  I  have  the  honour  to  acquaint  you,  for  the 
information  of  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty, 
that  at  five  o'clock  P.M.,  on  the  6th  of  August  last,  in 
latitude  24<°  44'  S.,  and  longitude  9°  22'  E,  the  weather 
dark  and  cloudy,  wind  fresh  from  the  N.W.,  with  a  long 
ocean  swell  from  the  S.W.,  the  ship  on  the  port  tack 
heading  N.E.  by  N.,  something  very  unusual  was  seen  by 
Mr  Sartoris,  midshipman,  rapidly  approaching  the  ship 
from  before  the  beam.  The  circumstance  was  immediately 
reported  by  him  to  the  officer  of  the  watch,  Lieutenant 
Edgar  Drummond,  with  whom  and  Mr  William  Barrett, 
the  master,  I  was  at  the  time  walking  the  quarter-deck. 
The  ship's  company  were  at  supper. 

"On  our  attention  being  called  to  the  object,  it  was 
discovered  to  be  an  enormous  serpent,  with  head  and 
shoulders  kept  about  four  feet  constantly  above  the  vsur- 


31 G  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

face  of  the  sea,  and,  as  nearly  as  we  could  approximate  by 
comparing  it  with  the  length  of  what  our  maintopsail-yard 
would  shew  in  the  water,  there  was  at  the  very  least  sixty 
feet  of  the  animal  afleur  d'eau*  no  portion  of  which  was, 
to  our  perception,  used  in  propelling  it  through  the  water, 
either  by  vertical  or  horizontal  undulation.  It  passed 
rapidly,  but  so  close  under  our  lee  quarter,  that  had  it 
been  a  man  of  my  acquaintance,  I  should  easily  have 
recognised  his  features  with  the  naked  eye ;  and  it  did 
not,  either  in  approaching  the  ship  or  after  it  had  passed 
our  wake,  deviate  in  the  slightest  degree  from  its  course 
to  the  S.W.,  which  it  held  on  at  the  pace  of  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  miles  per  hour,  apparently  on  some  determined 
purpose. 

"The  diameter  of  the  serpent  was  about  fifteen  or 
sixteen  inches  behind  the  head,  which  was,  without  any 
doubt,  that  of  a  snake ;  and  it  was  never,  during  the 
twenty  minutes  that  it  continued  in  sight  of  our  glasses, 
once  below  the  surface  of  the  water;  its  colour  a  dark 
brown,  with  yellowish  white  about  the  throat.  It  had  no 
fins,  but  something  like  the  mane  of  a  horse,  or  rather  a 
bunch  of  sea-weed,  washed  about  its  back.  It  was  seen 
by  the  quarter-master,  the  boatswain's  mate,  and  the  man 
at  the  wheel,  in  addition  to  myself  and  officers  above- 
mentioned. 

"  I  am  having  a  drawing  of  the  serpent  made  from  a 
sketch  taken  immediately  after  it  was  seen,  which  I  hope 

*  "  At  the  surface  of  the  water"     What  need  there  was  to  express  this 
by  a  French  phrase  in  an  English  report,  is  not  obvious. 


LIEUTENANT  DRUMMOND's  STATEMENT.  317 

to  have  ready  for  transmission  to  my  Lords  Commissioners 
of  the  Admiralty  by  to-morrow's  post. 

"  PETER  M'QuH^E,  Captain. 

"  To  Admiral  Sir  W.  H.  Gage,  G.C.H.,  Devonport." 

Lieutenant  Drummond,  the  officer  of  the  watch  named 
in  the  above  report,  published  his  own  impressions  of  the 
animal,  in  the  form  of  an  extract  from  his  own  journal, 
as  follows : — "In  the  four  to  six  watch,  at  about  five 
o'clock,  we  observed  a  most  remarkable  fish  on  our  lee- 
quarter,  crossing  the  stern  in  a  S.W.  direction ;  the 
appearance  of  its  head,  which,  with  the  back  fin,  was  the 
only  portion  of  the  animal  visible,  was  long,  pointed,  and 
flattened  at  the  top,  perhaps  ten  feet  in  length,  the  upper 
jaw  projecting  considerably ;  the  fin  was  perhaps  twenty 
feet  in  the  rear  of  the  head,  and  visible  occasionally ;  the 
captain  also  asserted  that  he  saw  the  tail,  or  another  fin 
about  the  same  distance  behind  it ;  the  upper  part  of  the 
head  and  shoulders  appeared  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  and 
beneath  the  under  jaw  a  brownish  white.  It  pursued  a 
steady  undeviating  course,  keeping  its  head  horizontal 
with  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  rather  a  raised  posi- 
tion, disappearing  occasionally  beneath  a  wave  for  a  very 
brief  interval,  and  not  apparently  for  purposes  of  respira- 
tion. It  was  going  at  the  rate  of  perhaps  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  miles  an  hour,  and  when  nearest,  was  perhaps 
one  hundred  yards  distant.  In  fact  it  gave  one  quite  the 
idea  of  a  large  snake  or  eel.  No  one  in  the  ship  has  ever 
seen  anything  similar,  so  it  is  at  least  extraordinary.  It 


318  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

was  visible  to  the  naked  eye  for  five  minutes,  and  with  a 
glass  for  perhaps  fifteen  more.  The  weather  was  dark 
and  squally  at  the  time,  with  sea  running. "  * 

The  pictorial  sketch  alluded  to  in  Captain  M/Quhae's 
report,  as  well  as  one  representing  the  animal  in  another 
aspect,  was  published  in  the  Illustrated  London  News, 
of  October  28,  1848,  "under  the  supervision  of  Captain 
M'Quhae,  and  with  his  approval  of  the  authenticity  of 
the  details  as  to  position  and  form."  These  drawings 
will  be  criticised  presently. 

As  I  have  already  said,  a  good  deal  of  popular  curiosity 
and  interest  was  immediately  awakened ;  and  the  public 
papers  were  for  a  while  filled  with  strictures,  objections, 
suggestions,  and  confirmations.  Among  the  last,  Captain 
Beechey,  the  eminent  navigator,  mentioned  an  extraor- 
dinary appearance  which  had  occurred  to  him  during  the 
voyage  of  the  Blossom,  in  the  South  Atlantic.  "  I  took 
it  for  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  and  before  I  could  get 
my  glass  it  had  disappeared." 

Mr  J.  D.  Morries  Stirling,  a  gentleman  long  resident 
in  Norway,  communicated  to  the  Secretary  to  the 
Admiralty  important  confirmatory  evidence  of  the  ex- 
istence of  the  animal  on  the  coasts  of  that  country, 
collected  by  a  scientific  body  at  Bergen,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  directors.  In  the  course  of  this  communica- 
tion, the  writer  points  out  certain  points  of  resemblance 
borne  by  the  Norwegian  animal  to  the  great  fossil  reptiles 
known  to  geologists  as  the  Enaliosauri  : — "  In  several  of 

*  Zoologist,  p.  2306. 


MR  STIRLING'S  EVIDENCE.  319 

the  fossil  reptiles  somewhat  approaching  the  sea-serpent 
in  size  and  other  characteristics,  the  orbit  is  very  large  ; 
and,  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  having  short  paws  or 
flappers,  the  descriptions  of  the  Northern  sea-serpents 
agree  with  the  supposed  appearance  of  some  of  the 
antediluvian  species/'  This  important  identification  had 
been  suggested  (probably,  however,  without  Mr  Stirling's 
knowledge)  nearly  two  years  before,  by  Mr  E.  Newman, 
F.L.S.,  the  able  editor  of  the  Zoologist* 

The  most  valuable  portion  of  Mr  Stirling's  communica- 
tion is  its  closing  paragraph:—  "In  concluding  this  hurried 
statement,  allow  me  to  add  my  own  testimony  as  to  the 
existence  of  a  large  fish  or  reptile  of  cylindrical  form.  (I 
will  not  say  sea-serpent.)  Three  years  ago,  while  becalmed 
in  a  yacht  between  Bergen  and  Sogn  in  Norway,  I  saw 
(at  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  astern)  what  appeared  to  be 
a  large  fish  ruffling  the  otherwise  smooth  surface  of  the 
fjord,  and,  on  looking  attentively,  I  observed  what  looked 
like  the  convolutions  of  a  snake.  I  immediately  got  my 
glass,  and  distinctly  made  out  three  convolutions,  which 
drew  themselves  slowly  through  the  water  ;  the  greatest 
diameter  was  about  ten  or  twelve  inches.  No  head  was 
visible,  and  from  the  size  of  each  convolution  I  supposed 
the  length  to  be  about  thirty  feet.  The  master  of  my 
yacht,  (who,  as  navigator,  seaman,  and  fisherman,  had 
known  the  Norwegian  coast  and  North  Sea  for  many 


*  To  the  philosophic  candour"  with  ^hich  the  Zoologist  has  been 
opened  to  reports  and  discussions  on  such  mooted  questions  as  these, 
natural  history  is  much  indebted.  Not  a  little  of  the  evidence  adduced 
in  this  chapter  1  have  derived  thence. 


320  THE  GHEAT  UNKNOWN. 

years,)  as  well  as  a  friend  who  was  with  me,  an  experienced 
Norwegian  sportsman  and  porpoise  shooter,  saw  the  same 
appearance  at  the  same  time,  and  formed  the  same  opinion 
as  to  form  and  size.  I  mention  my  friend  being  a  porpoise 
shooter,  as  many  have  believed  that  a  shoal  of  porpoises 
following  each  other  has  given  rise  to  the  fable,  as  they 
called  it,  of  the  sea-serpent/'  * 

A  writer  in  The  Times  of  November  2,  1848,  under 
the  signature  of  "  F.  G.  S./'  also  suggested  affinity  with 
the  Enaliosauri,  and  particularly  adduced  the  fossil  genus 
Plesiosaurus  as  presenting  the  closest  resemblance. 
"One  of  the  greatest  difficulties,"  observes  this  writer, 
"  on  the  face  of  the  narrative  [of  Captain  M'Quhse],  and 
which .  must  be  allowed  to  destroy  the  analogy  of  the 
motions  of  the  so-called  '  sea-serpent '  with  those  of  all 
known  snakes  and  anguilliform  fishes,  is  that  no  less 
than  sixty  feet  of  the  animal  were  seen  advancing  a  fleur 
d'eau  at  the  rate  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  an  hour, 
without  it  being  possible  to  perceive,  upon  the  closest 
and  most  attentive  inspection,  any  undulatory  motion  to 
which  its  rapid  advance  could  be  ascribed.  It  need 
scarcely  be  observed  that  neither  an  eel  nor  a  snake,  if 
either  of  those  animals  could  swim  at  all  with  the  neck 
elevated,  could  do  so  without  the  front  part  of  its  body 
being  thrown  into  undulation  by  the  propulsive  efforts  of 
its  tail." 

He  then  inquires  to  what  class  of  animals  it  could  have 
belonged,  and  thus  proceeds : — 

*  Illustrated  Londvn  News,  Oct.  28,  1848. 


THE  PLESIOSAURUS.  321 

"  From  the  known  anatomical  character  of  the  Plesio- 
sauri,  derived  from  the  examination  of  their  organic  re- 
mains, geologists  are  agreed  in  the  inference  that  those 
animals  carried  their  necks  (which  must  have  resembled 
the  bodies  of  serpents)  above  the  water,  while  their  pro- 
gression was  effected  by  large  paddles  working  beneath — 
the  short  but  stout  tail  acting  the  part  of  a  rudder.  It 
would  be  superfluous  to  point  out  how  closely  the  sur- 
mises of  philosophers  resemble,  in  these  particulars,  the 
description  of  the  eye-witnesses  of  the  living  animal,  as 
given  in  the  letter  and  drawings  of  Captain  M'Quhsg.  In 
the  latter  we  have  many  of  the  external  characters  of  the 
former,  as  predicated  from  the  examination  of  the  skele- 
ton. The  short  head,  the  serpent-like  neck,  carried  seve- 
ral feet  above  the  water,  forcibly  recall  the  idea  conceived 
of  the  extinct  animal ;  and  even  the  bristly  mane  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  back,  so  unlike  anything  found  in 
serpents,  has  its  analogy  in  the  Iguana,  to  which  animal 
the  Plesiosaurus  has  been  compared  by  some  geolo- 
gists. But  I  would  most  of  all  insist  upon  the  pecu- 
liarity of  the  animal's  progression,  which  could  only 
have  been  effected  with  the  evenness,  and  at  the  rate 
described,  by  an  apparatus  of  fins  or  paddles,  not  pos- 
sessed by  serpents,  but  existing  in  the  highest  perfection 
in  the  Plesiosaurus" 

A.  master  in  science  now  appeared  upon  the  field, — 
Professor  Richard  Owen,  who,  in  a  most  able  article,  gave 
his  verdict  against  the  serpentine  character  of  the  animal 
seen,  and  pronounced  it  to  have  been,  in  his  judgment,  a 


322  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

seal.     This  opinion  is  too  important  to  bear  abridgment, 
and  must  be  given  in  extensG  : — 

"  The  sketch  [a  reduced  copy  of  the  animal  seen  by 
Captain  M'Quhse,  attached  to  the  submerged  body  of  a 
large  seal,  shewing  the  long  eddy  produced  by  the  action 
of  the  terminal  flippers]  will  suggest  the  reply  to  your 
query,  '  Whether  the  monster  seen  from  the  Daedalus  be 
anything  but  a  saurian  ? '  If  it  be  the  true  answer,  it  de- 
stroys the  romance  of  the  incident,  and  will  be  anything 
but  acceptable  to  those  who  prefer  the  excitement  of  the 
imagination  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  judgment.  I  am 
far  from  insensible  to  the  pleasures  of  the  discovery  of  a 
new  and  rare  animal ;  but  before  I  can  enjoy  them,  certain 
conditions — e.  </.,  reasonable  proof  or  evidence  of  its  exist- 
ence— must  be  fulfilled.  I  am  also  far  from  undervaluing 
the  information  which  Captain  M'Quhse  has  given  us  of 
what  he  saw.  When  fairly  analysed,  it  lies  in  a  small 
compass ;  but  my  knowledge  of  the  animal  kingdom 
compels  me  to  draw  other  conclusions  from  the  pheno- 
mena than  those  which  the  gallant  captain  seems  to  have 
jumped  at.  He  evidently  saw  a  large  animal  moving 
rapidly  through  the  water,  very  different  from  anything 
he  had  before  witnessed — neither  a  whale,  a  grampus,  a 
great  shark,  an  alligator,  nor  any  of  the  larger  surface- 
swimming  creatures  which  are  fallen  in  with  in  ordinary 
voyages.  He  writes : — '  On  our  attention  being  called  to 
the  object,  it  was  discovered  to  be  an  enormous  serpent/ 
(read  'animal,')  'with  the  head  and  shoulders  kept  about 
four  feet  constantly  above  the  surface  of  the  sea.  The 
diameter  of  the  serpent'  (animal)  'was  about  fifteen  or 


PROFESSOR  OWENS  CRITICISMS.  323 

sixteen  inches  behind  the  head ;  its  colour  a  dark  brown, 
with  yellowish  white  about  the  throat.  No  fins  were 
seen,  (the  captain  says  there  were  none ;  but  from  his 
own  account,  he  did  not  see  enough  of  the  animal  to 
prove  his  negative.)  '  Something  like  the  mane  of  a 
horse,  or  rather  a  bunch  of  sea- weed  washed  about  its 
back/  So  much  of  the  body  as  was  seen  was  '  not  used 
in  propelling  the  animal  through  the  water,  either  by 
vertical  or  horizontal  undulation/  A  calculation  of  its 
length  was  made  under  a  strong  preconception  of  the 
nature  of  the  beast.  The  head,  e.  g.,  is  stated  to  be,  '  with- 
out any  doubt,  that  of  a  snake ; '  and  yet  a  snake  would 
be  the  last  species  to  which  a  naturalist,  conversant  with 
the  forms  and  characters  of  the  heads  of  animals,  would 
refer  such  a  head  as  that  of  which  Captain  M'Quhae  has 
transmitted  a  drawing  to  the  Admiralty,  and  which  he 
certifies  to  have  been  accurately  copied  in  the  Illustrated 
London  News  for  October  28,  1848,  p.  265.  Your  Lord- 
ship will  observe,  that  no  sooner  was  the  captain's  atten- 
tion called  to  the  object,  than  '  it  was  discovered  to  be  an 
enormous  serpent,'  and  yet  the  closest  inspection  of  as 
much  of  the  body  as  was  visible,  a  fleur  deau,  failed  to 
detect  any  undulations  of  the  body,  although  such  actions 
constitute  the  very  character  which  would  distinguish  a 
serpent  or  serpentiform  swimmer  from  any  other  marine 
species.  The  foregone  conclusion,  therefore,  of  the  beast's 
being  a  sea-serpent,  notwithstanding  its  capacious  vaulted 
cranium,  and  stiff,  inflexible  trunk,  must  be  kept  in  mind 
in  estimating  the  value  of  the  approximation  made  to  the 
total  length  of  the  animal,  as  '  (at  the  very  least)  sixty 


324  THE  ORE  AT  UNKNOWN. 

feet/  This  is  the  only  part  of  the  description,  however, 
which  seems  to  me  to  be  so  uncertain  as  to  be  inadmis- 
sible, in  an  attempt  to  arrive  at  a  right  conclusion  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  animal.  The  more  certain  characters  of 
the  animal  are  these : — Head  with  a  convex,  moderately 
capacious  cranium,  short  obtuse  muzzle,  gape  of  the 
mouth  not  extending  further  than  to  beneath  the  eye, 
which  is  rather  small,  round,  filling  closely  the  palpebral 
aperture ;  colour,  dark  brown  above,  yellowish  white  be- 
neath ;  surface  smooth,  without  scales,  scutes,  or  other 
conspicuous  modifications  of  hard  and  naked  cuticle. 
And  the  captain  says,  '  Had  it  been  a  rnan  of  my  ac- 
quaintance, I  should  have  easily  recognised  his  features 
with  my  naked  eye.'  Nostrils  not  mentioned,  but  indi- 
cated in  the  drawing  by  a  crescentic  mark  at  the  end  of 
the  nose  or  muzzle.  All  these  are  the  characters  of  the 
head  of  a  warm-blooded  mammal — none  of  them  those 
of  a  cold-blooded  reptile  or  fish.  Body  long,  dark  brown, 
not  undulating,  without  dorsal  or  other  apparent  fins ; 
'  but  something  like  the  mane  of  a  horse,  or  rather  a 
bunch  of  sea- weed,  washed  about  its  back.'  The  charac- 
ter of  the  integuments  would  be  a  most  important  one 
for  the  zoologist  in  the  determination  of  the  class  to 
which  the  above-defined  creature  belonged.  If  an  opinion 
can  be  deduced  as  to  the  integuments  from  the  above  in- 
dication, it  is  that  the  species  had  hair,  which,  if  it  was 
too  short  and  close  to  be  distinguished  on  the  head, 
was  visible  where  it  usually  is  the  longest,  on  the  middle 
line  of  the  shoulders  or  advanced  part  of  the  back, 


A  GKEAT  SEAL.  325 

where  it  was  not  stiff  and  upright  like  the  rays  of  a 
fin,  but  'washed  about.'  Guided  by  the  above  interpre- 
tation, of  the  '  mane  of  a  horse,  or  a  bunch  of  sea-weed/ 
the  animal  was  not  a  cetaceous  mammal,  but  rather  a 
great  seal.  But  what  seal  of  large  size,  or  indeed  of  any 
size,  would  be  encountered  in  latitude  24°  44'  south, 
and  longitude  9°  22'  east — viz.,  about  three  hundred  miles 
from  the  western  shore  of  the  southern  end  of  Africa  ?  The 
most  likely  species  to  be  there  met  with  are  the  largest  of 
the  seal  tribe,  e.g,  Anson's  sea-lion,  or  that  known  to 
the  southern  whalers  by  the  name  of  the  "  sea-elephant," 
the  Phoca  proboscidea,  which  attains  the  length  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet.  These  great  seals  abound  in  certain 
of  the  islands  of  the  southern  and  antarctic  seas,  from 
which  an  individual  is  occasionally  floated  off  upon  an 
iceberg.  The  sea-lion  exhibited  in  London  last  spring, 
which  was  a  young  individual  of  the  Phoca  proboscidea, 
was  actually  captured  in  that  predicament ;  having  been 
carried  by  the  currents  that  set  northward  towards  the 
Cape,  where  its  temporary  resting-place  was  rapidly 
melting  away.  When  a  large  individual  of  the  Phoca 
proboscidea  or  Phoca  leonina  is  thus  borne  off  to  a  dis- 
tance from  its  native  shore,  it  is  compelled  to  return  for 
rest  to  its  floating  abode,  after  it  has  made  its  daily  ex- 
cursions in  quest  of  the  fishes  or  squids  that  constitute  its 
food.  It  is  thus  brought  by  the  iceberg  into  the  latitudes 
of  the  Cape,  and  perhaps  further  north,  before  the  berg 
has  melted  away.  Then  the  poor  seal  is  compelled  to 
swim  as  long  as  strength  endures  ;  and  in  such  a  predica- 


326  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

ment  I  imagine  the  creature  was  that  Mr  Sartoris  saw 
rapidly  approaching  the  Dcedalus  from  before  the  beam, 
scanning,  probably,  its  capabilities  as  a  resting  place,  as  it 
paddled  its  long  stiff  body  past  the  ship.  In  so  doing,  it 
would  raise  a  head  of  the  form  and  colour  described  and 
delineated  by  Captain  M'Quhse,  supported  on  a  neck  also 
of  the  diameter  given ;  the  thick  neck  passing  into  an 
inflexible  trunk,  the  longer  and  coarser  hair  on  the  upper 
part  of  which  would  give  rise  to  the  idea,  especially  if  the 
species  were  the  Phoca  leonina,  explained  by  the  similes 
above  cited.  The  organs  of  locomotion  would  be  out  of 
sight.  The  pectoral  fins  being  set  on  very  low  down,  as 
in  my  sketch,  the  chief  impelling  force  would  be  the 
action  of  the  deeper  immersed  terminal  fins  and  tail, 
which  would  create  a  long  eddy,  readily  mistakeable,  by 
one  looking  at  the  strange  phenomenon  with  a  sea-serpent 
in  his  mindVeye,  for  an  indefinite  prolongation  of 
the  body. 

"  It  is  very  probable,  that  not  one  on  board  the  Dce- 
dalus ever  before  beheld  a  gigantic  seal  freely  swimming 
in  the  open  ocean.  Entering  unexpectedly  from  that 
vast  and  commonly  blank  desert  of  waters,  it  would  be  a 
strange  and  exciting  spectacle,  and  might  well  be  inter- 
preted as  a  marvel ;  but  the  creative  powers  of  the  human 
mind  appear  to  be  really  very  limited,  and,  on  all  the 
occasions  where  the  true  source  of  the  '  great  unknown' 
has  been  detected — whether  it  has  proved  to  be  a  file  of 
sportive  porpoises,  or  a  pair  of  gigantic  sharks — old 
Pontoppidan's  sea-serpent  with  the  mane  has  uniformly 


THE  STKONSA  SKELETON.  327 

suggested  itself  as  the  representative  of  the  portent,  until 
the  mystery  has  been  unravelled. 

"  The  vertebrae  of  the  sea-serpent  described  and  deline- 
ated in  the  Wernerian  Transactions,  vol.  i.,  and  sworn 
to  by  the  fishermen  who  saw  it  off  the  Isle  of  Stronsa,  (one 
of  the  Orkneys,)  in  1808,  two  of  which  vertebrae  are  in 
the  Museum  of  the  College  of  Surgeons,  are  certainly 
those  of  a  great  shark,  of  the  genus  Selache,  and  are  not 
distinguishable  from  those  of  the  species  called  '  basking- 
shark,'  of  which  individuals  from  thirty  feet  to  thirty-tive 
feet  in  length  have  been  from  time  to  time  captured  or 
stranded  on  our  coasts. 

"  I  have  no  unmeet  confidence  in  the  exactitude  of  rny 
interpretation  of  the  phenomena  witnessed  by  the  captain 
and  others  of  the  Dcedalus.  I  am  too  sensible  of  the 
inadequacy  of  the  characters  which  the  opportunity  of  a 
rapidly  passing  animal,  'in  a  long  ocean  swell,'  enabled 
them  to  note,  for  the  determination  of  its  species  or 
genus.  Giving  due  credence  to  the  most  probably  accu- 
rate elements  of  their  description,  they  do  little  more  than 
guide  the  zoologist  t^  the  class,  which,  in  the  present  in- 
stance, is  not  that  of  the  serpent  or  the  saurian. 

"But  I  am  usually  asked,  after  each  endeavour  to 
explain  Captain  M'Quhae's  sea-serpent,  '  Why  should  there 
not  be  a  great  sea-serpent?' — often,  too,  in  a  tone  which 
seems  to  imply,  '  Do  you  think,  then,  there  are  not  more 
marvels  in  the  deep  than  are  dreamt  of  in  your  philoso- 
phy?' And,  freely  conceding  that  point,  I  have  felt 
bound  to  give  a  reason  for  scepticism  as  well  as  faith. 


328  THE  GEE  AT  UNKNOWN. 

If  a  gigantic  sea-serpent  actually  exists,  the  species  must, 
of  course,  have  been  perpetuated  through  successive  ge- 
nerations, from  its  first  creation  and  introduction  into  the 
seas  of  this  planet.  Conceive,  then,  the  number  of  indi- 
viduals that  must  have  lived,  and  died,  and  have  left 
their  remains  to  attest  the  actuality  of  the  species  during 
the  enormous  lapse  of  time,  from  its  beginning,  to  the 
6th  of  August  last !  Now,  a  serpent,  being  an  air- 
breathing  animal,  with  long  vesicular  and  receptacular 
lungs,  dives  with  an  effort,  and  commonly  floats  when 
dead  ;  and  so  would  the  sea-serpent,  until  decomposition 
or  accident  had  opened  the  tough  integument,  and  let  out 
the  imprisoned  gases.  Then  it  would  sink,  and,  if  in  deep 
water,  be  seen  no  more  until  the  sea  rendered  up  its 
dead,  after  the  lapse  of  the  aeons  requisite  for  the  yielding 
of  its  place  to  dry  land — a  change  which  has  actually  re- 
vealed to  the  present  generation  the  old  saurian  monsters 
that  were  entombed  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  of  the 
secondary  geological  periods  of  our  earth's  history.  Dur- 
ing life  the  exigencies  of  the  respiration  of  the  great 
sea-serpent  would  always  compel  him  frequently  to  the 
surface  ;  and  when  dead  and  swollen — 

'  Prone  on  the  flood,  extended  long  and  large/ 

he  would 

'  Lie  floating  many  a  rood ;  in  bulk  as  huge, 
As  whom  the  fables  name  of  monstrous  size, 
Titanian,  or  Earth-born,  that  warr'd  on  Jove.' 

Such  a  spectacle,  demonstrative  of  the  species  if  it  existed, 
has  not  hitherto  met  the  gaze  of  any  of  the  countless 


ABSENCE  OF  EEMA1NS.  320 

voyagers  who  have  traversed  the  seas  in  so  many  directions. 
Considering,  too,  the  tides  and  currents  of  the  ocean,  it 
seems  still  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  dead  sea- 
serpent  would  be  occasionally  cast  on  shore.  However, 
I  do  not  ask  for  the  entire  carcase.  The  structure  of  the 
back-bone  of  the  serpent  tribe  is  so  peculiar,  that  a  single 
vertebra  would  suffice  to  determine  the  existence  of  the 
hypothetical  Ophidian  ;  and  this  will  not  be  deemed  an 
unreasonable  request  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  ver- 
tebrae are  more  numerous  in  serpents  than  in  any  other 
animals.  Such  large  blanched  and  scattered  bones  on 
any  sea-shore,  would  be  likely  to  attract  even  common 
curiosity ;  yet  there  is  no  vertebra  of  a  serpent  larger 
than  the  ordinary  pythons  and  boas  in  any  museum  in 
Europe. 

"Few  sea-coasts  have  been  more  sedulously  searched, 
or  by  more  acute  naturalists  (witness  the  labours  of  Sars 
and  Love'n)  than  those  of  Norway.  Krakeris  and  sea- 
serpents  ought  to  have  been  living  and  dying  thereabouts 
from  long  before  Pontoppidan's  time  to  our  day,  if  all 
tales  were  true  ;  yet  they  have  never  vouchsafed  a  single 
fragment  of  the  skeleton  to  any  Scandinavian  collector ; 
whilst  the  great  denizens  of  those  seas  have  been  by  no 
means  so  chary.  No  museums,  in  fact,  are  so  rich  in 
skeletons,  skulls,  bones  and  teeth  of  the  numerous  kinds  of 
whales,  cachalots,  grampuses,  walruses,  sea-unicorns,  seals, 
&c.,  as  those  of  Denmark,  Norway,  and  Sweden ;  but  of 
any  large  marine  nondescript  or  indeterminable  monster 
they  cannot  show  a  trace. 


330  THE  GREA.T  UNKNOWN. 

"  I  have  inquired  repeatedly  whether  the  natural  history 
collections  of  Boston,  Philadelphia,  or  other  cities  of  the 
United  States,  might  possess  any  unusually  large  ophidian 
vertebrae,  or  any  of  such  peculiar  form  as  to  indicate  some 
large  and  unknown  marine  animal ;  but  they  have  re- 
ceived no  such  specimens. 

"  The  frequency  with  which  the  sea-serpent  has  been 
supposed  to  have  appeared  near  the  shores  and  harbours 
of  the  United  States,  has  led  to  its  being  specified  as  the 
'  American  sea-serpent ; '  yet  out  of  the  two  hundred 
vertebrae  of  every  individual  that  should  have  lived  and 
died  in  the  Atlantic  since  the  creation  of  the  species,  not 
one  has  yet  been  picked  up  on  the  shores  of  America, 
The  diminutive  snake,  less  than  a  yard  in  length,  '  killed 
upon  the  sea-shore/  apparently  beaten  to  death,  'by 
some  labouring  people  of  Cape  Ann, '  United  States,  (see 
the  Svo  pamphlet,  1817,  Boston,  page  38,)  and  figured  in 
the  Illustrated  London  News,  October  28,  1848,  from  the 
original  American  memoir,  by  no  means  satisfies  the  con- 
ditions of  the  problem.  Neither  does  the  Saccopharynx 
of  Mitchell,  nor  the  Ophiognathus  of  Harwood — the  one 
four  and  a  half  feet,  the  other  six  feet  long :  both  are 
surpassed  by  some  of  the  congers  of  our  own  coasts,  and, 
like  other  rnursenoid  fishes  and  the  known  small  sea- 
snake,  (Hydrophis,)  swim  by  undulatory  movements  of 
the  body 

"  The  fossil  vertebrae  and  skull  which  were  exhibited 
by  Mr  Koch,  in  New  York  and  Boston,  as  those  of  the 
great  sea-serpent,  and  which  are  now  in  Berlin,  belonged 


THE  SEA-SAURIANS  EXTINCT.  331 

to  different  individuals  of  a  species  which  I  had  previously 
proved  to  be  an  extinct  whale  ;  a  determination  which 
has  subsequently  been  confirmed  by  Professors  Miiller 
and  Agassiz.  Mr  Dixon,  of  Worthing,  has  discovered 
many  fossil  vertebrae,  in  the  Eocene  tertiary  clay  at  Brack  - 
lesham,  which  belong  to  a  large  species  of  an  extinct 
genus  of  serpent  (Palceophis),  founded  on  similar  verte- 
brae from  the  same  formation  in  the  Isle  of  Sheppey. 
The  largest  of  these  ancient  British  snakes  was  twenty 
feet  in  length  ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  they  were 
marine. 

"  The  sea  saurians  of  the  secondary  periods  of  geology 
have  been  replaced  in  the  tertiary  and  actual  seas  by 
marine  mammals.  No  remains  of  Cetacea  have  been 
found  in  lias  or  oolite,  and  no  remains  of  Plesiosaur,  or 
Ichthyosaur,  or  any  other  secondary  reptile,  have  been 
found  in  Eocene  or  later  tertiary  deposits,  or  recent,  on 
the  actual  sea-shores ;  and  that  the  old  air-breathing 
saurians  floated  when  they  died  has  been  shewn  in  the 
Geological  Transactions,  (vol.  v.,  second  series,  p.  512.) 
The  inference  that  may  reasonably  be  drawn  from  no 
recent  carcase  or  fragment  of  such  having  ever  been 
discovered,  is  strengthened  by  the  corresponding  absence 
of  any  trace  of  their  remains  in  the  tertiary  beds. 

"Now,  on  weighing  the  question,  whether  creatures 
meriting  the  name  of  'great  sea-serpent'  do  exist,  or 
whether  any  of  the  gigantic  marine  saurians  of  the 
secondary  deposits  may  have  continued  to  live  up  to  the 
present  time,  it  seems  to  me  less  probable  that  no  part  of 


332  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

the  carcase  of  such  reptiles  should  have  ever  been  dis- 
covered in  a  recent  or  unfossilised  state,  than  that  men 
should  have  been  deceived  by  a  cursory  view  of  a  partly 
submerged  and  rapidly  moving  animal,  which  might  only 
be  strange  to  themselves.  In  other  words,  I  regard 
the  negative  evidence  from  the  utter  absence  of  any  of 
the  recent  remains  of  great  sea-serpents,  krakens,  or 
Enaliosauria,  as  stronger  against  their  actual  existence, 
than  the  positive  statements  which  have  hitherto  weighed 
with  the  public  mind  in  favour  of  their  existence.  A 
larger  body  of  evidence  from  eye-witnesses  might  be  got 
together  in  proof  of  ghosts  than  of  the  sea-serpent."  * 

Such  was  the  explanation  of  the  deposed  facts  offered 
by  the  ablest  of  living  physiologists.  Coming  as  it  did 
from  such  a  quarter,  and  supported  by  so  much  intrinsic 
reason,  it  is  not  surprising,  that,  although  the  romance 
was  sadly  shorn  away,  most  persons  were  willing  to 
acquiesce  in  the  decision. 

Captain  M'Quhse,  however,  promptly  replied  to  Professor 
Owen  : — "  I  now  assert,  neither  was  it  a  common  seal, 
nor  a  sea-elephant ;  its  great  length,  and  its  totally  differ- 
ing physiognomy  precluding  the  possibility  of  its  being 
a  Phoca  of  any  species.  The  head  was  flat,  and  not  a 
'  capacious  vaulted  cranium  ; '  nor  had  it  '  a  stiff  inflexible 
trunk '  — a  conclusion  to  which  Professor  Owen  has 
jumped,  most  certainly  not  justified  by  the  simple  state- 
ment, that  no  '  portion  of  the  sixty  feet  seen  by  us  was 

*  The  Times,  of  November  11,  1848. 


M  QUEUE'S  REPLY  TO  OWEN.  333 

used  in  propelling  it  through  the  water,  either  by  vertical 
or  horizontal  undulation/ 

"  It  is  also  assumed  that  the  '  calculation  of  its  length 
was  made  under  a  strong  preconception  of  the  nature  of 
the  beast ;  another  conclusion  quite  the  contrary  to  the 
fact.  It  was  not  until  after  the  great  length  was  developed 
by  its  nearest  approach  to  the  ship,  and  until  after  that 
most  important  point  had  been  duly  considered  and 
debated,  as  well  as  such  could  be  in  the  brief  space  of 
time  allowed  for  so  doing,  that  it  was  pronounced  to  be  a 
serpent  by  all  who  saw  it,  and  who  are  too  well  accustomed 
to  judge  of  lengths  and  breadths  of  objects  in  the  sea  to 
mistake  a  real  substance  and  an  actual  living  body,  coolly 
and  dispassionately  contemplated,  at  so  short  a  distance 
too,  for  the  'eddy  caused  by  the  action  of  the  deeper 
immersed  fins  and  tail  of  a  rapidly-moving  gigantic  seal 
raising  its  head  above  the  water,'  as  Professor  Owen 
imagines,  in  quest  of  its  lost  iceberg. 

"  The  creative  powers  of  the  human  mind  may  be  very 
limited.  On  this  occasion  they  were  not  called  into 
requisition ;  my  purpose  and  desire  being,  throughout,  to 
furnish  eminent  naturalists,  such  as  the  learned  Professor, 
with  accurate  facts,  and  not  with  exaggerated  representa- 
tions, nor  with  what  could  by  any  possibility  proceed 
from  optical  illusion  ;  and  I  beg  to  assure  him  that  old 
Pontoppidan's  having  clothed  his  sea-serpent  with  a  mane 
could  not  have  suggested  the  idea  of  ornamenting  the 
creature  seen  from  the  Dcedalus  with  a  similar  appendage, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  I  had  never  seen  his  account, 


THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN". 


or  even  heard  of  his  sea-serpent,  until  my  arrival  in 
London.  Some  other  solution  must  therefore  be  found 
for  the  very  remarkable  coincidence  between  us  in  that 
particular,  in  order  to  unravel  the  mystery. 

"  Finally,  I  deny  the  existence  of  excitement,  or  the 
possibility  of  optical  illusion.  I  adhere  to  the  statements, 
as  to  form,  colour,  and  dimensions,  contained  in  my 
official  report  to  the  Admiralty  ;  and  I  leave  them  as 
data  whereupon  the  learned  and  scientific  may  exercise 
the  '  pleasures  of  imagination  '  until  some  more  fortunate 
opportunity  shall  occur  of  making  a  closer  acquaintance 
with  the  'great  unknown*  —  in  the  present  instance 
assuredly  no  ghost."  * 

A  few  months  later,  the  following  letter  appeared  in 
the  Bombay  Bi-monthly  Times  for  January  1849.  It  is 
a  very  valuable  testimony  :  — 

"  I  see,  in  your  paper  of  the  30th  December,  a  para- 
graph in  which  a  doubt  is  expressed  of  the  authenticity 
of  the  account  given  by  Captain  M'Quhse  of  the  '  great 
sea-serpent.'  When  returning  to  India,  in  the  year  1829, 
I  .was  standing  on  the  poop  of  the  Royal  Saxon,  in  con- 
versation with  Captain  Petrie,  the  commander  of  that 
ship.  We  were  at  a  considerable  distance  south-west  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  the  usual  track  of  vessels  to 
this  country,  going  rapidly  along  (seven  or  eight  knots)  in 
fine  smooth  water.  It  was  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and 
the  other  passengers  were  at  luncheon  ;  the  man  at  the 
wheel,  a  steerage  passenger,  and  ourselves,  being  the  only 

•*  The  Times,  November  21,  1843. 


MR  DAVIDSON'S  EVIDENCE.  335 

persons  on  the  poop.  Captain  Petrie  and  myself,  at  the 
same  instant,  were  literally  fixed  in  astonishment  by  the 
appearance,  a  short  distance  ahead,  of  an  animal  of  which 
no  more  generally  correct  description  could  be  given  than 
that  by  Captain  M'Quhse.  It  passed  within  thirty-five 
yards  of  the  ship,  without  altering  its  course  in  the  least ; 
but  as  it  came  right  abreast  of  us,  it  slowly  turned  its  head 
towards  us.  Apparently  about  one-third  of  the  upper  part 
of  its  body  was  above  water,  in  nearly  its  whole  length, 
and  we  could  see  the  water  curling  up  on  its  breast  as  it 
moved  along,  but  by  what  means  it  moved  we  could  not 
perceive.  We  watched  it  going  astern  with  intense  in- 
terest until  it  had  nearly  disappeared,  when  my  com- 
panion, turning  to  me  with  a  countenance  expressive  of 
the  utmost  astonishment,  exclaimed,  '  Good  heavens ! 
what  can  that  be  ?'  It  was  strange  that  we  never  thought 
of  calling  the  party  engaged  at  luncheon  to  witness  the 
extraordinary  sight  we  had  seen ;  but  the  fact  is,  we  were 
so  absorbed  in  it  ourselves,  that  we  never  spoke,  and 
scarcely  moved,  until  it  had  nearly  disappeared.  Captain 
Petrie,  a  superior  and  most  intelligent  man,  has  since 
perished  in  the  exercise  of  his  profession.  Of  the  fate  of 
the  others  then  on  deck  I  am  ignorant ;  so  the  story 
rests  on  my  own  unsupported  word,  but  I  pledge  that 
word  to  its  correctness.  Professor  Owen's  supposition, 
that  the  animal  seen  by  the  officers  of  the  Dcedalus  was 
a  gigantic  seal,  I  believe  to  be  incorrect,  because  we  saw 
this  apparently  similar  creature  in  its  whole  length,  with 
the  exception  of  a  small  portion  of  the  tail,  which  was 


336  THE  GEE  AT  UNKNOWN. 

under  water ;  and,  by  comparing  its  length  with  that  of 
the  Royal  Saxon,  (about  six  hundred  feet,)  when  exactly 
alongside  in  passing,  we  calculated  it  to  be  in  that,  as 
well  as  in  its  other  dimensions,  greater  than  the  animal 
described  by  Captain  M'Quhse.  Should  the  foregoing 
account  be  of  any  interest  to  you,  it  is  at  your  service ;  it 
is  an  old  story,  but  a  true  one.  I  am  not  quite  sure  of 
our  latitude  and  longitude  at  the  time,  nor  do  I  exactly 
remember  the  date,  but  it  was  about  the  end  of  July. — 
R  DAVIDSON,  Superintending  Surgeon,  Nagpore  Sub- 
sidiary Force,  Kamptee,  3d  January,  1849." 

In  the  year  1852,  the  testimony  of  British  officers  was 
again  given  to  the  existence  of  an  enormous  marine 
animal  of  serpent  form.  The  descriptions,  however,  shew 
great  discrepancy  with  that  of  the  creature  seen  from  the 
Daedalus,  and  cannot  be  considered  confirmatory  of  the 
former  account,  otherwise  than  as  proving  that  immense 
unrecognised  creatures  of  elongate  form  roam  the  ocean. 

Two  distinct  statements  of  the  incident  were  published, 
which  I  cite  from  the  Zoologist  (p.  3756) ;  but  one  of 
them  had  already  appeared  in  The  Times. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  Steele,  of  the  Coldstream 
Guards,  thus  writes  : — 

"  I  have  lately  received  the  following  account  from  my 
brother,  Captain  Steele,  9th  Lancers,  who,  on  his  way  out 
to  India  in  the  Barham,  saw  the  sea-serpent.  Thinking 
it  might  be  interesting  to  you,  as  corroborating  the  ac- 
count of  the  Dcedalus,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  send- 
ing you  the  extract  from  my  brother's  letter : — '  On  the 


CAPTAIN  STEELE'S  TESTIMONY.  337 

28th  of  August,  in  long.  40°  K,  lat  37°  16'  S.,  about 
half-past  two,  we  had  all  gone  down  below  to  get  ready 
for  dinner,  when  the  first  mate  called  us  on  deck  to  see 
a  most  extraordinary  sight.  About  five  hundred  yards 
from  the  ship  there  was  the  head  and  neck  of  an  enor- 
mous snake ;  we  saw  about  sixteen  or  twenty  feet  out  of 
the  water,  and  he  spouted  a  long  way  from  his  head ; 
down  his  back  he  had  a  crest  like  a  cock's  comb,  and  was 
going  very  slowly  through  the  water,  but  left  a  wake  of 
about  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  as  if  dragging  a  long  body  after 
him.  The  captain  put  the  ship  off  her  course  to  run 
down  to  him,  but  as  we  approached  him,  he  went  down. 
His  colour  was  green,  with  light  spots.  He  was  seen  by 
every  one  on  board'  My  brother  is  no  naturalist,  and  I 
think  this  is  the  first  time  the  monster  has  been  ever  seen 
to  spout." 

The  second  statement  is  contained  in  a  letter  from  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  ship  : — 

"  You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  we  have  actually 
seen  the  great  sea-serpent,  about  which  there  has  been  so 
much  discussion.  Information  was  given  by  a  sailor  to  the 
captain  just  as  we  were  going  to  dinner.  I  was  in  my 
cabin  at  the  time,  and  from  the  noise  and  excitement,  I 
thought  the  ship  was  on  fire.  I  rushed  on  deck,  and  on 
looking  over  the  side  of  the  vessel  I  saw  a  most  wonderful 
sight,  which  I  shall  recollect  as  long  as  I  live.  His  head 
appeared  to  be  about  sixteen  feet  above  the  water,  and  he 
kept  moving  it  up  and  down,  sometimes  shewing  his 

enormous  neck,  which  was  surmounted  with  a  huge  crest 

y 


338  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

in  the  shape  of  a  saw,  It  was  surrounded  by  hundreds 
of  birds,  and  we  at  first  thought  it  was  a  dead  whale. 
He  left  a  track  in  the  water  like  the  wake  of  a  boat,  and 
from  what  we  could  see  of  his  head  and  part  of  his  body, 
we  were  led  to  think  he  must  be  about  sixty  feet  in 
length,  but  he  might  be  more.  The  captain  kept  the 
vessel  away  to  get  nearer  to  him,  and  when  we  were 
within  a  hundred  yards  he  slowly  sank  into  the  depths  of 
the  sea.  While  we  were  at  dinner  he  was  seen  again/' 

Mr  Alfred  Newton,  of  Elveden  Hall,  an  excellent  and 
well-known  naturalist,  adds  the  guarantee  of  his  personal 
acquaintance  with  one  of  the  recipients  of  the  above 
letters.* 

If  it  were  not  for  the  spouting — which  is  not  men- 
tioned by  one  observer,  and  may  possibly  have  been  an 
illusion — I  should  be  inclined  to  think  that  this  may 
have  been  one  of  the  scabbard-fishes,  specimens  of 
which  inhabit  the  ocean  of  immense  size.  They  carry  a 
high  serrated  dorsal  fin,  and  swim  with*  the  head  out  of 
water.-)- 

On  the  19th  February  1849,  Mr  Herriman,  commander 
of  the  British  ship  Brazilian,  sailed  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  on  the  24th  was  becalmed  almost  exactly 
in  the  spot  where  Captain  M'Quhse  had  seen  his  monster. 

"  About   eight  o'clock   on   that  morning,  whilst   the 

*  I  note  this,  because  discredit  has  been  undeservedly  cast  on  the 
phenomena  observed,  by  foolish  fabulous  stories  having  been  published 
under  fictitious  names,  for  the  purpose  of  hoaxing. 

t  See  Colonel  Montagu's  account,  in  Yarrell's  British  Fishes,  vol.  i., 
p.  199,  (edit.  1841.) 


A  CHEAT  SEA-WEED.  339 

captain  was  surveying  the  calm,  heavy,  rippleless  swell  of 
the  sea  through  his  telescope,  the  ship  at  the  same  time 
heading  N.N.W.,  he  perceived  something  right  abeam, 
about  half  a  mile  to  the  westward,  stretched  along  the 
water  to  the  length  of  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  and 
perceptibly  moving  from  the  ship  with  a  steady,  sinuous 
motion.  The  head,  which  seemed  to  be  lifted  several  feet 
above  the  waters,  had  something  resembling  a  mane,  run- 
ning down  to  the  floating  portion,  and  within  about  six 
feet  of  the  tail  it  forced  out  into  a  sort  of  double  fin. 
Having  read  at  Colombo  the  account  of  the  monster  said 
to  have  been  seen  by  Captain  M'Quhse  in  nearly  the  same 
latitude,  Mr  Herriman  was  led  to  suppose  that  he  had 
fallen  in  with  the  same  animal,  or  one  of  the  genus ;  he 
immediately  called  his  chief  officer,  Mr  Long,  with  seve- 
ral of  the  passengers,  who,  after  surveying  the  object  for 
some  time,  came  to  the  unanimous  conclusion  that  it 
must  be  the  sea-serpent  seen  by  Captain  M'Quhse.  As 
the  Brazilian  was  making  no  headway,  Mr  Herriman, 
determining  to  bring  all  doubts  to  an  issue,  had  a  boat 
lowered  down,  and  taking  two  hands  on  board,  together 
with  Mr  Boyd  of  Peterhead,  near  Aberdeen,  one  of  the 
passengers,  who  acted  as  steersman  under  the  direction  of 
the  captain,  they  approached  the  monster,  Captain  Herri- 
man standing  on  the  b9w  of  the  boat  armed  with  a  har- 
poon, to  commence  the  onslaught.  The  combat,  however, 
was  not  attended  with  the  danger  which  those  on  board 
apprehended,  for  on  coming  close  to  the  object  it  was 
found  to  be  nothing  more  than  an  immense  piece  of  sea- 


340  THE  GKEAT  UNKNOWN. 

weed,  evidently  detached  from  a  coral  reef,  and  drifting 
with  the  current,  which  sets  constantly  to  the  westward 
in  this  latitude,  and  which,  together  with  the  swell  left 
by  the  subsidence  of  the  gale,  gave  it  the  sinuous,  snake- 
like  motion. 

"  But  for  the  calm,  which  afforded  Captain  Herriman 
an  opportunity  of  examining  the  weed,  we  should  have 
had  another  '  eye-witness  '  account  of  the  great  sea-serpent, 
— Mr  Herriman  himself  admitting  that  he  should  have 
remained  under  the  impression  that  he  had  seen  it. 
What  appeared  to  be  head,  crest,  and  mane  of  the  im- 
mensum  wlumen,  was  but  the  large  root  which  floated 
upwards,  and  to  which  several  pieces  of  the  coral  reef 
still  adhered.  The  captain  had  it  hauled  on  board,  but, 
as  it  began  to  decay,  was  compelled  to  throw  it  over.  He 
now  regrets  that  he  had  not  preserved  it  in  a  water-butt 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibition  in  the  Thames,  where  the 
conflicting  motion  produced  by  the  tide  and  steamers 
would  in  all  probability  give  it  a  like  appearance.* 

A  new  and  unexpected  interpretation  was  thus  given  to 
the  observed  phenomena;  an  interpretation  which  has 
been  recently  revived.  For  a  statement  published  in  The 
Times  of  February  5,  1858,  by  Captain  Harrington  of  the 
ship  Castilian,  brought  out  another  witness  on  the  sea- 
weed hypothesis. 

The  statement  alluded  to  was  couched  in  the  form  of 
an  extract  from  a  Meteorological  Journal  kept  on  board 
the  ship,  the  original  of  which  was  sent  to  the  Board  of 

*  Sun,  July  9,  1849. 


CAPTAIN  HARRINGTON'S  TESTIMONY.  34] 

Trade.     It  was  authenticated  by  Captain  Harrington,  and 
his  chief  and  second  officers. 

«  Ship  Castilian,  Dec.  12, 1857;  N.E.  end  of  St  Helena, 
distant  ten  miles.  At  6*30  P.M.,  strong  breezes  and 
cloudy,  ship  sailing  about  twelve  miles  per  hour.  While 
myself  and  officers  were  standing  on  the  lee  side  of  the 
poop,  looking  towards  the  island,  we  were  startled  by  the 
sight  of  a  huge  marine  animal,  which  reared  its  head  out 
of  the  water  within  twenty  yards  of  the  ship,  when  it  sud- 
denly disappeared  for  about  half  a  minute,  and  then  made 
its  appearance  in  the  same  manner  again,  shewing  us  dis- 
tinctly its  neck  and  head  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  out  of 
the  water.  Its  head  was  shaped  like  a  long  nun  buoy, 
and  I  suppose  the  diameter  to  have  been  seven  or  eight 
feet  in  the  largest  part,  with  a  kind  of  scroll,  or  tuft  of 
loose  skin,  encircling  it  about  two  feet  from  the  top ;  the 
water  was  discoloured  for  several  hundred  feet  from  its 
head,  so  much  so,  that,  on  its  first  appearance,  my  impres- 
sion was  that  the  ship  was  in  broken  water,  produced,  as 
I  supposed,  by  some  volcanic  agency  since  the  last  time  I 
passed  the  island,  but  the  second  appearance  completely 
dispelled  those  fears,  and  assured  us  that  it  was  a  monster 
of  extraordinary  length,  which  appeared  to  be  moving 
slowly  towards  the  lancl  The  ship  was  going  too  fast  to 
enable  us  to  reach  the  mast-head  in  time  to  form  a  correct 
estimate  of  its  extreme  length,  but  from  what  we  saw 
from  the  deck,  we  conclude  that  it  must  have  been  over 
two  hundred  feet  long.  The  boatswain  and  several  of  the 


342  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

crew  who  observed  it  from  the  top-gallant  forecastle,  state 
that  it  was  more  than  double  the  length  of  the  ship,  in 
which  case  it  must  have  been  five  hundred  feet ;  be  that 
as  it  may,  I  am  convinced  that  it  belonged  to  the  serpent 
tribe ;  it  was  of  a  dark  colour  about  the  head,  and  was 
covered  with  several  white  spots.  Having  a  press  of 
canvas  on  the  ship  at  the  time,  I  was  unable  to  round  to 
without  risk,  and  therefore  was  precluded  from  getting 
another  sight  of  this  leviathan  of  the  deep. 

"  GEORGE  HENRY  HARRINGTON,  Commander. 
WILLIAM  DAVIES,  Chief  Officer. 
EDWARD  WHEELER,  Second  Officer." 

This  document  was  immediately  answered  by  Captain 
Fred.  Smith,  of  the  ship  Pekin,  in  the  following  announce- 
ment : — 

"  On  Dec.  28, 1 848,  being  then  in  lat.  26°  S.,  long.  6°  E., 
nearly  calm,  saw  about  half  a  mile  on  port  beam,  a  very 
extraordinary-looking  thing  in  the  water,  of  considerable 
length.  With  the  telescope  we  could  plainly  discern  a 
huge  head  and  neck,  covered  with  a  long  shaggy-looking 
kind  of  mane,  which  it  kept  lifting  at  intervals  out  of  the 
water.  This  was  seen  by  all  hands,  and  declared  to  be 
the  great  sea-serpent.  I  determined  on  knowing  some- 
thing about  it,  and  accordingly  lowered  a  boat,  in  which 
my  chief  officer  and  four  men  went,  taking  with  them  a 
long  small  line  in  case  it  should  be  required.  I  watched 
them  very  anxiously,  and  the  monster  seemed  not  to  regard 
their  approach.  At  length  they  got  close  to  the  head. 


ANOTHER  SEA-WEED.  343 

They  seemed  to  hesitate,  and  then  busy  themselves  with 
the  line,  the  monster  all  the  time  ducking  its  head,  and 
shewing  its  great  length.  Presently  the  boat  began 
pulling  towards  the  ship,  the  monster  following  slowly. 
In  about  half  an  hour  they  got  alongside ;  a  tackle  was 
got  on  the  mainyard  and  it  was  hoisted  on  board.  It 
appeared  somewhat  supple  when  hanging,  but  so  com- 
pletely covered  with  snaky-looking  barnacles,  about 
eighteen  inches  long,  that  we  had  it  some  time  on  board 
before  it  was  discovered  to  be  a  piece  of  gigantic  sea- 
weed, twenty  feet  long,  and  four  inches  diameter ;  the 
root  end  appeared  when  in  the  water  like  the  head  of  an 
animal,  and  the  motion  given  by  the  sea  caused  it  to 
seem  alive.  In  a  few  days  it  dried  up  to  a  hollow  tube, 
and  as  it  had  rather  an  offensive  smell  was  thrown  over- 
board. I  had  only  been  a  short  time  in  England  when 
the  Dcedalus  arrived  and  reported  having  seen  the  great 
sea-serpent, — to  the  best  of  my  recollection  near  the  same 
locality,  and  which  I  have  no  doubt  was  a  piece  of  the 
same  weed.  So  like  a  huge  living  monster  did  this 
appear,  that  had  circumstances  prevented  my  sending  a 
boat  to  it,  I  should  certainly  have  believed  I  had  seen  the 
great  sea-snake/' 

The  last  imputation  called  up  "  An  officer  of  H.M.S. 
Daedalus"  whose  testimony  puts  hors  de  combat  the  sea- 
weed hypothesis  in  that  renowned  case.  I  need  not  give 
it  at  length,  the  following  sentences  sufficing : — "  The 
object  seen  from  H.M.  ship  was,  beyond  all  question,  a 
living  animal,  moving  rapidly  through  the  water  against 


344  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

a  cross  sea,  and  within  five  points  of  a  fresh  breeze,  with 
such  velocity  that  the  water  was  surging  under  its  chest, 
as  it  passed  along  at  a  rate  probably  of  ten  miles  per 
hour.  Captain  M'Quhse's  first  impulse  was  to  tack  in 
pursuit,  .  .  .  but  he  reflected  that  we  could  neither  lay  up 
for  it  nor  overhaul  it  in  speed.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
done,  therefore,  but  to  observe  it  as  accurately  as  we  could 
with  our  glasses,  as  it  came  up  under  our  lee  quarter  and 
passed  away  to  windward,  at  its  nearest  position  being 
not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from  us ;  the  eye,  the 
mouth,  the  nostril,  the  colour  and  form,  all  being  most 
distinctly  visible  to  us.  .  .  .  My  impression  was  that  it 
was  rather  of  a  lizard  than  a  serpentine  character,  as  its 
movement  was  steady  and  uniform,  as  if  propelled  by  fins, 
not  by  any  undulatory  power."* 

Further  correspondence  ensued,  but  no  additional  light 
of  any  importance  was  shed  on  the  matter,  except  that 
Captain  Smith  stated  that  the  diameter  of  his  sea-weed 
capture  in  the  water,  before  it  was  "  divested  of  its  extra- 
ordinary-looking living  appendages,"  was  three  feet. 


A  large  mass  of  evidence  has  been  accumulated ;  and 
I  now  set  myself  to  examine  it.  In  so  doing,  I  shall 
eliminate  from  the  inquiry,  all  the  testimony  of  Norwegian 
eye-witnesses,  that  obtained  in  Massachusetts  in  1817, 
and  various  statements  made  by  French  and  American 
captains  since.  Confining  myself  to  English  witnesses 
of  known  character  and  position,  most  of  them  being 
*  The  Times  of  Feb.  16,  1858. 


SUMMAEY  OF  BRITISH  TESTIMONY.  345 

officers  under  the  crown,  I  have  adduced  the  following 
testimonies : — 

1.  That  of  five  British  officers,  who  saw  the  animal  at 
Halifax,  N.S.,  in  1833. 

2.  That  of  Captain  M'Quhse  and  his  officers,  who  saw 
it  from  the  Dcedalus  in  1848. 

3.  That  of  Captain  Beechey,  who  saw  something  similar 
from  the  Blossom. 

4.  That  of  Mr  Morries  Stirling,  who  saw  it  in  a  Nor- 
wegian fjord. 

5.  That  of  Mr  Davidson,  who  saw  it  from  the  Royal 
Saxon,  in  1829. 

6.  That  of  Captain  Steele  and  others,  who  saw  it  from 
the  Bar  ham,  in  1852. 

7.  That  of  Captain  Harrington  and  his  officers,  who 
saw  it  from  the  Castilian,  in  1857. 

Carefully  comparing  these  independent  narratives,  we 
have  a  creature  possessing  the  following  characteristics : 

1.  The  general  form  of  a  serpent  (1,  2,  3,*  4,  5,  6,  7). 

2.  Great  length,  say  above  sixty  feet,  (1,  2,  5,  6,  7t). 

3.  Head  considered  to  resemble  that  of  a  serpent,  (1,  2, 
5,  6,7}). 

4.  Neck  from  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  in  diameter, 
(1,§2,  4,  5). 

*  Captain  Beech ey's  view  was  too  momentary  to  be  of  much  value; 
the  object  he  saw  he  compares  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  which,  BO  far  a» 
it  goes,  agrees  with  the  serpent  shape. 

f  From  two  hundred  to  five  hundred  feet  (7). 

£  "  Like  a  long  nun-buoy"  (7). 

§  "  That  of  a  moderate-sized  tree"  (1). 


346  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

5.  Appendages   on   the    head  (7),  neck   (6).  01    back 
(2,  5),  resembling  a  crest  or  mane.    (Considerable  discrep- 
ancy in  details.) 

6.  Colour  dark  brown  (1,  2,  5,  7),  or  green  (6)  ;  streaked 
or  spotted  with  white  (1,  2,  5,  6,  7). 

7.  Swims  at  surface  of  the  water  (1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7), 
with  a  rapid  (1,  2,  5),  or  slow  (4,  6,  7),  movement ;  the 
head  and  neck  projected  and  elevated  above  the  surface 
(1,  2,  5,  6,  7). 

8.  Progression  steady  and  uniform ;  the  body  straight 
(2,  5,  6),  but  capable  of  being  thrown  into  convolutions 
(4). 

9.  Spouts  in  the  manner  of  a  whale  (6). 

To  which  of  the  recognised  classes  of  created  beings 
can  this  huge  rover  of  the  ocean  be  referred?  And,  first, 
is  it  an  animal  at  all  ?  That  there  are  immense  algse  in 
the  ocean,  presenting  some  of  the  characters  described, 
has  been  already  shewn  ;  and  on  two  occasions  an  object 
supposed  to  be  the  "sea-serpent"  proved  on  examination 
to  be  but  a  sea-weed  floating  ;  the  separated  and  inverted 
roots  of  which,  projecting  in  the  roll  of  the  swell,  seemed 
a  head,  and  the  fronds  (in  the  one  case)  and  (in  the  other) 
a  number  of  attached  barnacles,  resembled  a  shaggy  mane 
washed  about  in  the  water. 

But  surely  it  must  have  been  a  very  dim  and  indistinct 
view  of  the  floating  and  ducking  object,  which  could  have 
mistaken  this  for  a  living  animal ;  *  and  it  would  be 

*  The  distance  is  estimated  at  half  a  mile  on  both  occasions.  (See 
the  accounts  of  Captains  Ilerriman  and  Smith.} 


EXAMINATION   OF   OWEN'S  DECISION.  347 

in  the  highest  degree  to  presume  that  of  such  a 
nature  could  be  the  cr?.atur?s,  going  rapidly  through  the 
water  at  ten  or  twelve  miles  an  hour,  with  the  head  and 
neck  elevated,  so  distinctly  seen  by  Captain  M'Quhse  and 
Mr  Davidson,  the  former  at  two  hundred,  the  latter  at 
thirty-five  yards'  distance.  We  may  fairly  dismiss  the 
sea-weed  hypothesis. 

Among  animals,  the  Vertebrata  are  tbe  cnly  classes 
supposable.  But  of  these,  which  ?  Birds  ai£  out  of  the 
question  ; — but  Mammalia,  Reptilia,  Pisces,— there  is 
no  antecedent  absurdity  in  assigning  it  to  either  of  these. 
Each  of  these  classes  contains  species  of  lengthened  form, 
of  vast  dimensions,  of  pelagic  habit ;  and  to  each  has 
the  creature  been,  by  different  authorities,  assigned. 

Let  us,  then,  look  at  the  Mammalia.  Here  Professor 
Owen  would  place  it;  and  his  opinion  on  a  zoological 
question  has  almost  the  force  of  an  axiom.  I  trust  I  shall 
not  be  accused  of  presumption  if  I  venture  to  examine 
the  decision  of  one  whom  I  so  greatly  respect.  It  is  true, 
his  reasoning  applies  directly  only  to  the  creature  seen 
from  the  Daedalus;  but  we  are  bound  to  consider  the 
exigencies  not  only  of  that  celebrated  case,  but  of  all  the 
other  well-authenticated  cases. 

Professor  Owen  thus  draws  up  the  characters  of  the 
animal : — "  Head  with  a  convex,  moderately  capacious 
cranium,  short  obtuse  muzzle,  gape  not  extending  further 
than  the  eye  ;  eye  rather  small,  round,  filling  closely  the 
palpebral  aperture  ;  colour  dark  brown  above,  yellowish 
white  beneath  ;  surface  smooth,  without  scales,  scutes,  or 


348  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

other  conspicuous  modifications  of  hard  and  naked  cuticle, 
nostrils  not  mentioned,  but  indicated  in  the  drawing  by 
a  crescentic  mark  at  the  end  of  the  nose  or  muzzle; 
body  long,  dark  brown,  not  undulating,  without  dorsal  or 
other  apparent  fins  ; — '  but  something  like  the  mane  of  a 
horse,  or  rather  a  bunch  of  sea-weed  washed  about  its 
back/" 

The  earlier  of  these  characters  are  those  "  of  the  head 
of  a  warm-blooded  mammal ;  none  of  them  those  of  a 
cold-blooded  reptile  or  fish/'  The  comparison  of  the 
dimly-seen  something  on  the  back  to  a  horse's  mane  or 
sea- weed,  seems  to  indicate  a  clothing  of  hair ;  and,  guided 
by  this  interpretation,  the  Professor  judges  that  the 
animal  was  not  a  cetacean,  but  rather  a  great  seal. 

Now,  it  is  manifest  that  it  was  from  the  pictorial 
sketches,  more  than  from  the  verbal  description  of 
Captain  M'Quhse,  that  this  diagnosis  was  drawn  up.  And 
if  the  drawings  had  been  made/rom  the  life,  under  the 
direction  of  a  skilful  zoologist,  nothing  could  be  more 
legitimate  than  such  a  use  of  them.  But  surely  it  has 
been  overlooked  that  they  were  made  under  no  such 
circumstances.  Only  one  of  the  published  representations 
was  original ;  and  this  was  taken  *'  immediately  after 
the  animal  was  seen."  *  That  is,  one  of  the  officers,  who 
could  draw,  went  below  immediately,  and  attempted  to 
reproduce  what  his  eye  was  still  filled  with.  Now,  what 

*  The  enlarged  view  of  the  head  was  no  doubt  made  up  from  one 
of  the  other  drawings  expressly  for  the  Illustrated  London  News,  and 
therefore  claims  no  independent  value. 


DIFFICULTIES  OF  DRAWING.  349 

could  one  expect  under  such  conditions  ?  Of  course,  the 
artist  was  not  a  zoologist,  or  we  should  have  had  a 
zoologist's  report.  Would  the  drawing  so  produced  be  of 
any  value  ?  Surely  yes;  of  great  value.  It  would  doubt- 
less be  a  tolerably  faithful  representation  of  the  general 
appearance  of  the  object  seen,  but  nothing  more ;  its 
form,  and  position,  and  colour,  and  such  of  the  details  as 
the  observer  had  distinctly  noticed,  and  marked  down, 
so  to  speak,  in  his  mind,  would  be  given  ;  but  a  great 
deal  of  the  details  would  be  put  in  by  mere  guess. 
When  a  person  draws  from  an  object  before  him,  he 
measures  the  various  lines,  curves,  angles,  relative  dis- 
tances, and  so  on,  with  his  eye,  one  by  one,  and  puts  them 
down  seriatim ;  ever  looking  at  the  part  of  the  original 
on  which  he  is  working,  for  correction.  But  no  possibility 
of  doing  this  was  open  to  the  artistic  midshipman ;  he 
had  merely  his  vivid,  but  necessarily  vague,  idea  of  the 
whole  before  him  as  the  original  from  which  he  drew. 
Who  is  there  that  could  carry  all  the  details  of  an  object 
in  the  memory,  after  a  few  minutes'  gaze,  and  that,  too, 
under  strong  excitement  ?  This  was  not  the  case  even  of 
a  cool  professional  artist,  called  in  to  view  an  object  for 
the  purpose  of  depicting  it ;  in  all  probability  the  officer 
had  not  thought  of  sketching  it  till  all  was  over,  and 
had  made  no  precise  observations,  his  mind  being  mainly 
occupied  by  wonder.  He  sits  down,  pencil  in  hand  ;  he 
dashes  in  the  general  outline  at  once ;  now  he  comes  to 
details, — say  the  muzzle,  the  facial  angle  ; — of  course,  his 
figure  must  have  some  facial  angle,  some  outline  of 


350  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

muzzle  ;  but  probably  he  had  not  particularly  noticed 
that  point.  What  shall  he  do  ?  there  is  no  original  before 
him,  a  glance  at  which  would  decide  ;  he  sketches  on  a 
scrap  of  paper  by  his  side  two  or  three  forms  of  head  ; 
perhaps  he  shews  the  paper  to  a  brother  officer,  with  a 
question,  "  Which  of  these  do  you  think  most  like  the 
head  ? "  and  then  he  puts  the  one  selected  in  his  sketch, 
and  so  of  other  details. 

Those  who  are  not  used  to  drawing  will  think  I  am 
making  a  caricature.  I  am  doing  no  such  thing.  I  have 
been  accustomed  for  nearly  forty  years  to  draw  animals 
from  the  life;  and  the  public  are  able  to  judge  of  my 
power  of  representing  what  I  see  ;  but  I  am  quite  sure 
that  if  I  were  asked  to  depict  an  object  unfamiliar  to 
me,  which  I  had  been  looking  at  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
without  thinking  that  1  should  have  to  draw  it,  I  should 
do,  in  fifty  points  of  detail,  just  what  I  have  supposed 
the  officer  to  have  done.  Let  my  reader  try  it.  Get  hold 
of  one  of  your  acquaintances,  whom  you  know  to  be  a 
skilful,  but  non-professional  artist,  whose  attention  has 
never  been  given  to  flowers  ;  take  him  into  your  green- 
house, and  shew  him  some  very  beautiful  thing  in  blossom ; 
keep  him  looking  at  it  for  some  ten  minutes  without  a 
hint  of  what  you  are  thinking  of,  then  take  him  into  your 
drawing-room,  put  paper  and  colours  before  him,  and 
say,  "  Make  me  a  sketch  of  that  plant  you  have  just  seen!" 
When  it  is  done,  take  it  to  a  botanist,  and  ask  him  to 
give  you  the  characters  of  the  genus  and  species  from 
the  sketch  ;  or  compare  it  yourself  with  the  original,  and 


THARACTEE  OF  THE  HEAD.  :3ol 

note  how  many  and, what  ludicrous  blunders  had  been 
made  in  details,  while  there  was  a  fair  general  correct- 
ness. 

Viewed  in  this  light,  it  will  be  manifest  how  inefficient 
the  sketch  made  on  board  the  Dcedalus  must  be  for 
minute  characters  ;  and  particularly  those  which  in  the 
diagnosis  above  I  have  marked  with  italics.  Yet  these 
are  the  characters  mainly  relied  on  to  prove  the  mammalian 
nature  of  the  animal.  Some  of  these  characters  could 
not  possibly  have  been  determined  at  two  hundred  yards' 
distance.  I  say  "  mainly  relied  on  ; "  because  there  is 
the  mane-like  appendage  yet  to  be  accounted  for.  This  is 
a  strong  point  certainly  in  favour  of  a  mammalian,  and 
of  a  phocal  nature  ;  whether  it  decides  the  question, 
however,  I  will  presently  examine. 

The  head  in  either  of  the  large  sketches  (those,  I  mean, 
in  which  the  creature  is  represented  in  the  sea)  does  not 
appear  to  me  at  all  to  resemble  that  of  a  seal ;  nor  do  I 
see  a  "  vaulted  cranium."  The  summit  of  the  head  does 
not  rise  above  the  level  of  the  summit  of  the  neck ;  in 
other  words,  the  vertical  diameter  of  the  head  and  neck 
are  equal,  while  there  are  indications  that  the  occiput 
considerably  exceeds  the  neck  in  transverse  diameter. 
This  is  not  the  case  with  any  seal,  but  it  is  eminently 
characteristic  of  eels,  of  many  serpents,  and  some  lizards. 
Let  the  reader  compare  the  lower  figure  (Illustrated 
London  News,  Oct.  28,  1848)  with  that  of  the  Broad- 
nosed  Eel  in  Yarrell's  British  Fishes,  (Ed.  ii.,  vol.  ii., 
p.  396.)  The  head  of  some  of  the  scincoid  lizards  (the 


352  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

Jamaican  Celestus  occiduus,  for  instance)  is  not  at  all 
unlike  that  represented  ;  it  is  full  as  vaulted,  and  as  short, 
but  a  little  more  pointed,  and  with  a  flatter  facial  angle. 
On  this  point  the  Captain's  assertion  corrects  the  drawing ; 
for  in  reply  to  Professor  Owen  he  distinctly  asserts  that 
"the  head  was  flat,  and  not  a  capacious  vaulted  cranium;" 
and  the  description  of  Lieutenant  Drummond,  published 
before  any  strictures  were  made  on  the  point,  says, 
"  the  head  ....  was  long,  pointed,  and  flattened  at 
the  top,  perhaps  ten  feet  in  length,  the  upper  jaw  project- 
ing considerably." 

With  regard  to  the  "  mane. "  The  great  Phoca  pro- 
boscidea  is  the  only  seal  which  will  bear  comparison  with 
the  Dcedalus  animal  in  dimensions,  reaching  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet.  H.  M.  officers  declare  that  upwards  of 
sixty  feet  of  their  animal  were  visible  at  the  surface  ;  but 
Mr  Owen  supposes,  not  improbably,  that  the  disturbance 
of  the  water  produced  by  progression  induced  an  illusive 
appearance  of  a  portion  of  this  length.  But  how  much  ? 
Suppose  all  behind  thirty  feet,  the  extreme  length  of  the 
elephant  seal.  Then  it  is  impossible  the  animal  could 
have  been  such  a  seal,  for  the  following  reason.  The 
fore  paws  of  the  seal  are  placed  at  about  one-third  of  the 
total  length  from  the  muzzle  ;  that  is,  in  a  seal  of  thirty 
feet  long,  at  ten  feet  behind  the  muzzle.  But  twenty  feet 
of  the  "  serpent"  were  projected  from  the  water,  and  yet 
no  appearance  of  fins  was  seen.  Lieutenant  Drummond 
judges  the  head  to  have  been  ten  feet  in  length  (with 
which  the  lower  figure,  assuming  sixty  or  sixty-five  feet 


WHALES — FISHES.  353 

as  the  total  length  drawn,  well  agrees;)  and  besides  this, 
at  least  an  equal  length  of  neck  was  exposed. 

But  the  great  Phoca  proboscidea  has  no  mane  at  all. 
For  this,  we  must  have  recourse  to  other  species,  known  as 
sea-lions.  Two  kinds  are  recognised  under  this  name, 
Otaria  jubata  and  Platyrhynchus  leoninus  ;  though  there 
is  some  confusion  in  the  names.  Neither  of  these  ever 
exceeds  sixteen  feet  in  total  length,  of  which,  about  five 
feet  would  be  the  utmost  that  could  project  from  the 
water  in  swimming.  Suppose,  however,  the  eyes  of  the 
gallant  officers  to  have  magnified  the  leonine  seal  to  suffi- 
cient dimensions ;  I  fear  even  then  it  will  not  do.  For 
the  mane  in  these  animals  is  a  lengthening  and  thickening 
of  the  hair  on  the  occiput  and  on  the  neck,  just  as  in  the 
lion.  But  the  "serpent's"  mane  was  not  there,  but  "  per- 
haps twenty  feet  in  the  rear  of  the  head,"  says  Lieutenant 
Drummond;  it  "washed  about  its  back,"  says  Captain 
M'Quhae. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  therefore,  that  on  data  we  at 
present  possess  the  seal  hypothesis  appears  to  me  quite 
untenable. 

It  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  the  creature  may 
prove  to  belong  to  the  Cetacea  or  whale  tribe.  I  know  of 
no  reason  why  a  slender  and  lengthened  form  should  not 
exist  in  this  order.  The  testimony  of  Colonel  Steele,  who 
represents  his  animal  as  spouting,  points  in  this  direction. 

As  to  its  place   among   Fishes,   Dr  Mantell   and  Mr 
Melville*  consider  that   the  Dcedalus  animal  may  have 
*  See  Zoologist,  p.  2310. 


354*  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

been  one  of  the  sharks ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
celebrated  Stronsa  animal,  which  was  considered  by  Dr 
Barclay  as  the  Norwegian  sea-serpent,  was  really  the 
Selache  maxima  or  basking  shark.  But  the  identification 
of  Captain  M'Quhae's  figure  and  description  with  a  shark 
is  preposterous. 

There  are,  however,  the  ribbon-fishes ;  and  some  of  these, 
as  the  hair- tail,  the  Vaegmaer,  and  the  Gymnetrus,  are  of 
large  size,  and  slender  sword-like  form.  Several  kinds 
have  been  found  in  the  North  Atlantic,  and  wherever  seen 
they  invariably  excite  wonder  and  curiosity.  All  of  these 
are  furnished  with  a  back-fin ;  but  in  other  respects  they 
little  correspond  with  the  descriptions  of  the  animal  in 
question.  One  of  their  most  striking  characteristics,  more- 
over, is,  that  their  surface  resembles  polished  steel  or  silver. 

A  far  greater  probability  exists,  that  there  may  be 
some  oceanic  species  of  the  eel  tribe,  of  gigantic  dimen- 
sions. Our  own  familiar  conger  is  found  ten  feet  in 
length.  Certainly,  Captain  M'Quhse's  figures  remind  me 
strongly  of  an  eel ;  supposing  the  pectorals  to  be  either 
so  small  as  to  be  inconspicuous  at  the  distance  at  which 
the  animal  was  seen,  or  to  be  placed  more  than  com- 
monly far  back. 

To  the  Reptiles,  however,  popular  opinion  has  pretty 
uniformly  assigned  this  denizen  of  the  sea ;  and  his 
accepted  title  of  "sea-serpent"  sufficiently  indicates  his 
zoological  affinities  in  the  estimation  of  the  majority  of 
those  who  believe  in  him.  Let  us,  then,  test  his  claims 
to  be  a  serpent. 


A  SERPENT  IN  THE  ATLANTIC.  355 

The  marine  habit  presents  no  difficulty.  For,  in  the 
Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans,  there  are  numerous  species 
of  true  snakes  (Hydropliidce),  which  are  exclusively  in- 
habitants of  the  sea.  They  are  reported  to  remain  much 
at  the  sur  ace,  and  even  to  sleep  so  soundly  there  that 
the  passing  of  a  ship  through  a  group  sometimes  fails 
to  awaken  them. 

None  of  these  are  known  to  exceed  a  few  feet  in  length. 

O         ' 

and,  so  far  as  we  know,  none  of  them  have  been  found 
in  the  Atlantic.  It  is  remarkable,  however,  that  a  record 
exists  of  a  serpent  having  been  seen  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  North  Atlantic.  The  Zoologist  (p.  1911)  has  pub- 
lished a  communication  signed,  "S.  H.  Saxby,  Bon- 
church,  Isle  of  Wight,"  containing  an  extract  from  the 
log-book  of  a  very  near  relative,  dated  August  1, 1786,  on 
board  the  ship  General  Coole,  in  latitude  42°  44'  N., 
and  longitude  23°  10'  W. ;  that  is,  a  little  to  the  north- 
east of  the  Azores.  It  is  as  follows  :  — "  A  very  large 
snake  passed  the  ship :  it  appeared  to  be  about  sixteen  or 
eighteen  feet  in  length,  and  three  or  four  feet  in  circum- 
ference ;  the  back  of  a  lightish  colour,  and  the  belly  thereof 
yellow."  According  to  the  log,  the  ship  was  becalmed  at 
the  time  Mr  Saxby  vouches  for  the  correctness  of  the 
statement,  and  adds,  that  any  one  is  welcome  to  see  the 
original  record.  It  augments  very  considerably  the  value 
of  this  incident,  that  no  suggestion  of  identity  with  the 
Norwegian  dragon  appears  to  have  occurred  to  the  ob- 
server :  he  speaks  of  it  as  "  a  snake/'  and  nothing  more  ; 
the  dimensions  alone  appear  to  have  excited  surprise, 


356  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

"sixteen  or  eighteen  feet,"  and  these  are  by  no  means 
extravagant. 

On  the  whole,  I  am  disposed  to  accept  this  case  as  that 
of  a  true  serpent — perhaps  the  Boa  murina,  one  of  the 
largest  known,  and  of  very  aquatic  habits — carried  out 
to  sea  by  one  of  the  great  South  American  rivers,  and 
brought  by  the  gulf  stream  to  the  spot  where  it  was  seen. 
If  I  am  warranted  in  this  conclusion,  it  affords  us  no  help 
in  the  identification  of  the  great  unknown. 

I  do  not  attach  much  value  to  the  assertions  of  obser- 
vers, that  the  head  of  the  animal  seen  by  them  respectively 
was  "undoubtedly  that  of  a  snake."  Such  comparisons 
made  by  persons  unaccustomed  to  mark  the  characteristic 
peculiarities  which  distinguish  one  animal  from  another, 
are  vague  and  unsatisfactory.  Their  value,  at  all  events, 
is  rather  negative  than  positive.  For  example  ;  if  a  per- 
son of  liberal  education  and  general  information,  but  no 
naturalist,  were  to  tell  me  he  had  seen  a  creature  with  a 
head  "  exactly  like  that  of  a  snake  •"  I  should  understand 
him,  that  the  head  was  not  that  of  an  ordinary  beast,  nor 
of  a  bird,  nor  that  of  the  generality  of  fishes ;  but  I  should 
have  no  confidence  at  all  that  it  was  not  as  like  that 
of  a  lizard  as  of  a  serpent ;  and  should  entertain  doubts 
whether,  if  I  shewed  him  the  form  of  head,  even  of  cer- 
tain fishes,  he  would  not  say, — "  Yes,  it  was  something 
like  that" 

There  does  not  seem,  then,  any  sufficient  evidence  that 
the  colossal  animal  seen  from  the  Daedalus,  and  on  other 
occasions,  is  a  serpent,  in  the  sense  in  which  zoologists  use 


THE  ANCIENT  PLESIOSAUK.  357 

that  term.  A  lengthened  cylindrical  form  it  seems  to 
have ;  but,  for  anything  that  appears,  it  may  as  well  be  a 
monstrous  eel,  or  a  slender  cetacean,  as  anything.  All  ana- 
logies and  probabilities  are  against  its  being  an  ophidian. 

It  yet  remains  to  consider  the  hypothesis  advanced  by 
Mr  E.  Newman,  Mr  Merries  Stirling,  and  "F.  G.  S.,"* 
that  the  so-called  sea-serpent  will  find  its  closest  affinities 
with  those  extraordinary  animals,  the  Enaliosauria,  or 
Marine  Lizards,  whose  fossil  skeletons  are  found  so 
abundantly  scattered  through  the  oolite  and  the  lias.  The 
figure  of  Plesiosaurus,  as  restored  in  Professor  Ansted's 
Ancient  World  has  a  cranium  not  less  capacious  or 
vaulted  than  that  given  in  Captain  M'Quhse's  figures ;  to 
which,  indeed,  but  that  the  muzzle  in  the  latter  is  more 
abbreviate,  it  bears  a  close  resemblance.  The  head  was 
fixed  at  the  extremity  of  a  neck,  composed  of  thirty  to  forty 
vertebrae,  which,  from  its  extraordinary  length,  slender- 
ness,  and  flexibility,  must  have  been  the  very  counterpart 
of  the  body  of  a  serpent.  This  snake-like  neck  merged 
insensibly  into  a  compact  and  moderately  slender  body, 
which  carried  two  pairs  of  paddles,  very  much  like  those 
of  a  sea-turtle,  and  terminated  behind  in  a  gradually 
attenuated  tail. 

Thus,  if  the  Plesiosaur  could  have  been  seen  alive,  you 
would  have  discerned  nearly  its  total  length  at  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  propelled  at  a  rapid  rate,  without  any 
undulation,  by  an  apparatus  altogether  invisible, — the 
powerful  paddles  beneath;  while  the  entire  serpentine 

*  See  supra,  pp  SI  8,  320. 


358  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

neck  would  probably  be  projected  obliquely,  carrying  the 
reptilian  head,  with  an  eye  of  moderate  aperture,  and  a 
mouth  whose  gape  did  not  extend  behind  the  eye.  Add 
to  this  a  covering  of  the  body  not  formed  of  scales,  bony 
plates,  or  other  form  of  solidified  integument,  but  a  yield- 
ing, leathery  skin,  probably  black  and  smooth,  like  that 
of  a  whale ;  give  the  creature  a  length  of  some  sixty  feet 
or  more,  and  you  would  have  before  you  almost  the  very 
counterpart  of  the  apparition  that  wrought  such  amaze- 
ment on  board  the  Dcedalus.  The  position  of  the  nostrils 
at  the  summit  of  the  head  indicates,  that,  on  first  coming 
to  the  surface  from  the  deaths  of  the  sea,  the  animal 
would  spout  in  the  manner  of  the  whales, — a  circumstance 
reported  by  some  observers  of  the  sea-serpent. 

I  must  confess  that  I  am  myself  far  more  disposed  to 
acquiesce  in  this  hypothesis  than  in  any  other  that  has 
been  mooted.  Not  that  I  would  identify  the  animals 
seen  with  the  actual  Plesiosaurs  of  the  lias.  None  of 
them  yet  discovered  appear  to  exceed  thirty-five  feet  in 
length,  which  is  scarcely  half  sufficient  to  meet  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  case.  I  should  not  look  for  any  species, 
scarcely  even  any  genus,  to  be  perpetuated  from  the  oolitic 
period  to  the  present.  Admitting  the  actual  continua- 
tion of  the  order  Enaliosauria,  it  would  be,  I  think, 
quite  in  conformity  with  general  analogy  to  find  important 
generic  modifications,  probably  combining  some  salient 
features  of  several  extinct  forms.  Thus  the  little  known 
Pliosaur  had  many  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Plesiosaur, 
without  its  extraordinarily  elongated  neck,  while  it  vastly 


FRILL  OF  THE  CHLAMYDOSAUR.  350 

exceeded  it  in  dimensions.  What  if  the  existing  form 
should  be  essentially  a  Plesiosaur,  with  the  colossal  mag- 
nitude of  a  Pliosaur  ? 

There  seems  to  be  no  real  structural  difficulty  in  such 
a  supposition  except  the  "  mane,"  or  waving  appendage, 
which  has  so  frequently  been  described  by  those  who 
profess  to  have  seen  the  modern  animal.  This,  however, 
is  a  difficulty  of  ignorance,  rather  than  of  contradiction. 
We  do  not  know  that  the  smooth  integument  of  the  Ena- 
liosaurs  was  destitute  of  any  such  appendage,  and  I  do 
not  think  there  is  any  insuperable  improbability  in  the 
case.  The  nearest  analogy  that  I  can  suggest,  however, 
is  that  of  the  Chlamydosaur,  a  large  terrestrial  lizard  of 
Australia,  whose  lengthened  neck  is  furnished  with  a  very 
curious  plaited  frill  of  thin  membrane,  extending  like 
wings  or  fins  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  animal.* 

Two  strong  objections,  however,  stand  in  the  way  of 
our  acceptance  of  the  present  existence  of  Enaliosauria ; 
and  these  are  forcibly  presented  by  Professor  Owen. 
They  are, — 1.  The  hypothetical  improbability  of  such 
forms  having  been  transmitted  from  the  era  of  the  secon- 
dary strata  to  the  present  time;  and,  2.  The  entire 
absence  of  any  parts  of  the  carcases  or  unfossilised  skele- 
tons of  such  animals  in  museums. 

My  ignorance  of  the  details  of  palaeontology  makes  me 

*  It  was  not  till  after  this  paragraph  was  written  that  I  noticed  the 
very  close  similarity  of  the  fins  with  which  Hans  Egede  has  adorned 
his  figure  of  the  sea-serpent,  (copied  in  the  Illustrated  London  New$> 
Oct.  28,  1848,)  to  the  frill  of  the  Chlamydosaurw. 


360  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

feel  very  diffident  in  attempting  to  touch  the  for:^°.r 
point,  especially  when  so  great  an  authority  has  pro- 
nounced an  opinion  ;  still  I  will  modestly  express  one  or 
two  thoughts  on  it. 

There  does  not  seem  any  a  priori  reason  why  early 
forms  should  not  be  perpetuated ;  and  examples  are  by 
no  means  rare  of  animals  much  anterior,  geologically,  to 
the  Enaliosaurs,  being  still  extant.  The  very  earliest 
forms  of  fishes  are  of  the  Placo'id  type,  and  it  is  remark- 
able, that  not  only  is  that  type  still  living  in  considerable 
numbers,  but  the  most  gigantic  examples  of  this  class 
belong  to  it, — viz.,  the  sharks  and  rays ;  and  these  ex- 
hibiting peculiarities  which  by  no  means  remove  them 
far  from  ancient  types.  The  genus  Chimcera  appears  in 
the  oolite,  the  wealden,  and  the  chalk ;  disappears  (or 
rather  is  not  found)  in  any  of  the  tertiary  formations,  but 
reappears,  somewhat  rarely,  in  the  modern  seas.  It  is 
represented  by  two  species  inhabiting  respectively  the 
Arctic  and  Antarctic  Oceans. 

Now,  this  is  exactly  a  parallel  case  to  what  is  conjec- 
tured of  the  Enaliosaurs.  They  appear  in  the  oolite  and 
the  chalk,  are  not  found  in  the  tertiary  strata,  but  re- 
appear, rarely,  in  the  modern  seas,  represented  by  two 
or  more  species  inhabiting  the  Northern  and  Southern 
Oceans. 

Among  Eeptiles,  the  curious  family  of  river  tortoises 
named  Trionychidce,  distinguished  by  their  long  neck,  and 
a  broad  cartilaginous  margin  to 'the  small  back-shell,  ap- 
pears first  in  the  wealden.  No  traces  occur  of  it  in  any 


THE  IGUANODON  AND  IGUANA.         361 

subsequent  formation,  till  the  present  period,  when  we 
find  it  represented  by  the  large  and  savage  inhabitants  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  Nile,  and  the  Ganges. 

What  is  still  more  to  the  purpose  is,  that  the  Igua- 
nodo-i,  avast  saurian  which  was  contemporary  with  the 
Plesiosaur  and  Ichtliyosaur,  though  transmitting  no  ob- 
served representative  of  its  form  through  the  tertiary 
era,  is  yet  well  represented  by  the  existing  Iguanadce  of 
the  American  tropics. 

It  is  true  the  Iguana  is  not  an  Iguanodon;  but  the 
forms  are  closely  allied.  I  do  not  suppose  that  the  so- 
called  sea-serpent  is  an  actual  Plesiosaur,  but  an  animal 
bearing  a  similar  relation  to  that  ancient  type.  The 
Iguanodon  has  degenerated  (I  speak  of  the  type,  and  not 
of  the  species)  to  the  small  size  of  the  Iguana;  the 
Plesiosaurus  may  have  become  developed  to  the  gigantic 
dimensions  of  the  sea-serpent. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Zoologist  (p.  2395)  adduces  the 
great  authority  of  Professor  Agassiz  to  the  possibility  of 
the  present  existence  of  the  Enaliosaurian  type.  That 
eminent  palaeontologist  is  represented  as  saying,  that  "  it 
would  be  in  precise  conformity  with  analogy  that  such  an 
animal  should  exist  in  the  American  seas,  as  he  had 
found  numerous  instances  in  which  the  fossil  forms  of 
the  Old  World  were  represented  by  living  types  in  the 
New.  He  instanced  the  gar-pike  of  the  Western  rivers, 
and  said  he  had  found  several  instances  in  his  recent 
visit  to  Lake  Superior,  where  he  had  detected  several 
fishes  belonging  to  genera  now  extinct  in  Europe/' 


362  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

On  this  point,  however,  an  actual  testimony  exists,  to 
which  I  cannot  but  attach  a  very  great  value.  Mr 
Edward  Newman,  in  the  same  volume  of  the  Zoologist 
that  I  have  just  cited,  (p.  2356,)  records  what  he  con- 
siders "  in  all  respects  the  most  interesting  natural-history 
fact  of  the  present  century."  It  is  as  follows  : — 

"  Captain  the  Hon.  George  Hope  states,  that,  when  in 
H.M.S.  Fly,  in  the  Gulf  of  California,  the  sea  being  per- 
fectly calm  and  transparent,  he  saw  at  the  bottom  a 
large  marine  animal,  with  the  head  and  general  figure  of 
an  alligator,*  except  that  the  neck  was  much  longer,  and 
that  instead  of  legs  the  creature  had  four  large  flappers, 
somewhat  like  those  of  turtles,  the  anterior  pair  being 
larger  than  the  posterior.  The  creature  was  distinctly 
visible,  and  all  its  movements  could  be  observed  with 
ease.  It  appeared  to  be  pursuing  its  prey  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea.  Its  movements  were  somewhat  serpentine, 
and  an  appearance  of  annulations  or  ring-like  divisions 
of  the  body  were  distinctly  perceptible.  Captain  Hope 
made  this  relation  in  company,  and  as  a  matter  of  con- 
versation. When  I  heard  it  from  the  gentleman  to  whom 
it  was. narrated,  I  inquired  whether  Captain  Hope  was 

*  Mr  Marshall,  in  his  interesting  "  Four  Years  in  Burmah,"  just  pub- 
lished, mentions  his  having  seen  an  "  alligator  "  forty-jive  feet  in  length, 
swin>ming  in  the  Irawaddy,  with  the  head  and  nearly  half  of  the  body 
out  of  the  water.  He  is  confident  that  it  was  travelling  at  the  rate  of  at 
least  thirty  miles  an  hour,  and  this  against  a  very  strong  tide  I  What 
could  this  have  been  ?  Surely  no  Crocodilian ;  for  the  great  Gavial,  the 
largest  of  known  Saurians,  is  little  more  than  one-third  of  this  length. 
MM.  Dumeril  and  Bibron  give  the  dimensions  of  the  largest  on  record 
as  5  met.  40  centim.,  or  about  17j  feet. 


CALIFOKNIAN  ENALIOSAUR.  363 

acquainted  with  those  remarkable  fossil  animals,  Ichthyo- 
sauri and  Plesiosauri,  the  supposed  forms  of  which  so 
nearly  correspond  with  what  he  describes  as  having  seen 
alive,  and  I  cannot  find  that  he  had  heard  of  them, — 
the  alligator  being  the  only  animal  he  mentioned  as 
bearing  a  partial  similarity  to  the  creature  in  question."  * 

Now,  unless  this  officer  was  egregiously  deceived,  he 
saw  an  animal  which  could  have  been  no  other  than  an 
Enaliosaur, — a  marine  reptile  of  large  size,  of  sauroid 
figure,  with  turtle-like  paddles. •[•  It  is  a  pity  that  no 
estimate,  even  approximate,  of  the  dimensions  is  given  ; 
but  as  the  alligator  affords  the  comparison  as  to  form,  it 
is  most  probable  that  there  was  a  general  agreement  with 
it  in  size.  This  might  make  it  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  in  length. 

I  cannot,  then,  admit  that  either  the  general  substitu- 
tion of  Cetacea  for  Enaliosauria,  in  our  era,  or  the  ab- 

*  Zoologist,  p.  2356. 

f  Dr  J.  E.  Gray  long  ago  expressed  his  opinion,  that  some  undescribed 
form  exists,  which  is  intermediate  between  the  tortoises  and  the  ser- 
pents. "  There  is  every  reason  to  believe,  from  general  structure,  that 
there  exists  an  affinity  between  the  tortoises  and  the  snakes ;  but  the 
genus  that  exactly  unites  them  is  at  present  unknown  to  European 
naturalists ;  which  is  not  astonishing  when  we  consider  the  immense 
number  of  undescribed  animals  which  are  daily  occurring.  Mr  Macleay 
thought  that  those  two  orders  might  be  united  by  means  of  Emys  lon- 
gicollis  (the  long-necked  tortoise)  of  Shaw;  but  the  family  to  which 
this  animal  belongs  appears  to-be  the  one  which  unites  this  class  to  the 
crocodile.  If  I  may  be  allowed  to  speculate  from  the  peculiarities  of 
structure  which  I  have  observed,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  union 
will  most  probably  take  place  by  some  newly  discovered  genera  allied  to 
the  marine  or  fluviatile  soft-skinned  turtles,  and  the  marine  serpent"  ' 
*  Synopsis  of  Gen  of  Reptiles,  in  Ann.  of  Philos.,  1825. 


364  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

eence  of  remains  of  the  latter  in  the  tertiary  deposits,  is 
sufficient  evidence  of  their  non-existence  in  our  seas  ;  any 
more  than  the  general  replacement  of  Placo'id  and  Ga- 
noid, fishes  by  the  Cycloids  and  Ctenoi'ds,  or'  the  absence 
of  the  former  two  from  the  tertiaries,  is  proof  of  their 
present  non-existence. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  as  Mr  Darwin  has  ably  in- 
sisted, that  the  specimens  we  possess  of  fossil  organisms 
are  very  far  indeed  from  being  a  complete  series.  They 
are  rather  fragments  accidentally  preserved,  by  favouring 
circumstances,  in  an  almost  total  wreck.  The  Enalio- 
sauria,  particularly  abundant  in  the  secondary  epoch, 
may  have  become  sufficiently  scarce  in  the  tertiary  to 
have  no  representative  in  these  preserved  fragmentary 
collections,  and  yet  not  have  been  absolutely  extinct.* 

But  Professor  Owen  presses  also  the  absence  of  any 
recognised  recent  remains  of  such  animals.  Let  us  test 
this  evidence  first  by  hypothesis,  and  then  by  actual  fact. 

It  may  be  that  a  true  serpent,  with  large  vesicular 
lungs,  would  float  when  dead,  and  be  liable  to  be  seen  by 
navigators  in  that  condition,  or  to  be  washed  ashore, 
where  its  peculiar  skeleton  would  be  sure  to  attract  notice. 
But,  as  I  have  before  said,  I  do  not  by  any  means  believe 
that  the  unknown  creature  is  a  serpent  in  the  zoological 
sense.  Would  a  Plesiosaurus  float  when  dead  ?  I  \hink 
not.  It  is  supposed  to  have  had  affinities  with  the  whales. 

*  I  reason  as  a  geologist,  on  geological  premises, — reserving  my  own 
convictions  on  the  subject  of  prochronism,  which  would  not  affect  this 
argument. 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  NOKWAY  COAST.      365 

Now,  a  whale  sinks  like  lead  as  soon  as  the  blubber  is 
removed ;  the  surface-fat  alone  causes  a  whale  to  float. 
But  we  have  no  warrant  for  assuming  that  the  Plesiosaur 
was  encased  in  a  thick  blanket  of  blubber ;  no  geologist 
has  suggested  any  such  thing,  and  the  long  neck  forbids 
it ;  and  if  not,  doubtless  it  would  sink,  and  not  float, 
when  dead.  Therefore  the  stranding  of  such  a  carcase, 
or  the  washing  ashore  of  such  a  skeleton,  would  most 
probably  be  an  extremely  rare  occurrence,  even  if  the 
animal  were  as  abundant  as  the  sperm-whale;  but,  on 
the  supposition  that  the  species  itself  is  almost  extinct, 
we  ought  not  to  expect  such  an  incident,  perhaps,  in  a 
thousand  years.  If  we  add  to  this  the  recollection, 
how  small  a  portion  of  the  border  of  the  ocean  is 
habitually  viewed  by  persons  able  to  discriminate  be- 
tween the  vertebrae  of  an  Enaliosaur  and  those  of  a 
Cetacean,  we  shall  not,  I  think,  attach  great  importance 
to  this  objection. 

The  only  region  of  the  globe,  in  which  the  unknown 
monster  is  reputed  to  be  in  any  sense  common,  is  the 
coast  of  Norway.  Now  this,  it  is  true,  is  fortunately 
within  the  ken  of  civilised  and  scientific  man ;  and,  con- 
fessedly, no  enormous  ophidian  or  saurian  carcases  have 
ever  been  recognised  on  that  shore.  But  the  shore  of 
Norway  is,  perhaps,  the  least  favourable  in  the  world  for 
such  a  jetsam.  Such  a  thing  as  a  sand  or  shingle  beach 
is  scarcely  known  ;  the  coast  is  almost  exclusively  what 
is  called  iron-bound  ;  the  borders'  of  the  deeply  indented 
fjords  rise  abruptly  out  of  the  sea,  so  that  there  is  gene- 


806  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN. 

rally  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  fathoms'  depth  of  water 
within  a  boat's  length  of  the  shore.  How  could  a  carcase 
o,r  a  skeleton  be  cast  up  here,  even  if  it  floated  ? 

But,  secondly,  as  to  facts.  Is  it  true,  that  of  all  the 
larger  oceanic  animals  we  find  the  carcases  or  skeletons 
cast  up  on  the  shore  ?  Is  it  true  even  of  the  Cetacea, 
whose  blubber-covered  bodies  invariably  ensure  their 
floating,  and  whose  bones  are  so  saturated  with  oil  that 
they  are  but  little  heavier  than  water  ? 

In  September,  1825,  a  cetacean  was  stranded  on  the 
French  coast  which  was  previously  unknown  to  natural- 
ists. It  was  so  fortunate  as  to  fall  under  the  examina- 
tion of  so  eminent  an  zoologist  as  De  Blainville;  and  hence 
its  anatomy  was  well  investigated.  It  has  become  cele- 
brated as  the  Toothless  Whale  of  Havre  (Aodon  Dalei). 
Yet  no  other  example  of  this  species  is  on  record;  and, 
but  for  this  accident,  a  whale  inhabiting  the  British 
Channel  would  be  quite  unrecognised. 

Of  another  whale  (Diodon  Sowerbyi),  likewise  British, 
our  entire  knowledge  rests  on  a  single  individual  which 
was  cast  on  shore  on  the  Elgin  coast,  and  was  seen  and 
described  by  the  naturalist  Sowerby. 

There  is  a  species  of  sperm-whale  (Physeter  tursio) 
affirmed  to  be  frequently  seen  about  the  Shetland  Islands  ; 
a  vast  creature  of  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  readily  dis- 
tinguishable from  all  other  Cetacea  by  its  lofty  dorsal, 
and,  according  to  old  Sibbald,  by  other  remarkable  pe- 
culiarities in  its  anatomy.  Yet  no  specimen  of  this  huge 
creature  has  fallen  under  modern  scientific  observation  ; 


COSSE'S  DELPHINORHYNCHUS.  367 

and  zoologists  are  not  yet  agreed  among  themselves, 
whether  the  High-fmned  Cachalot  is  a  myth  or  a  reality! 

M.  Rafinesque  Smaltz,  a  Sicilian  naturalist,  described  a 
Cetacean  which,  he  said,  he  had  seen  in  the  Mediterranean, 
possessing  two  dorsals.  The  character  was  so  abnormal 
that  his  statement  was  not  received  ;  but  the  eminent 
geologists  attached  to  one  of  the  French  exploring  expedi- 
tions,— MM.  Quoy  and  Gaimard, — saw  a  school  of  cetacea 
around  their  ship  in  the  South  Pacific,  having  this  extra- 
ordinary character, — the  supernumerary  fin  being  placed 
on  the  back  of  the  head.  Here  is  the  evidence  of  com- 
petent naturalists  to  the  existence  of  a  most  remarkable 
whale,  ?zo  carcase  of  which,  no  skeleton,  has  ever  been 
recognised. 

The  last  example  I  shall  adduce  is  from  my  own  ex- 
perience. During  my  voyage  to  Jamaica,  when  in  lat. 
19°  N.,  and  long,  from  46°  to  48°  W.,  the  ship  was  sur- 
rounded for  seventeen  continuous  hours  with  a  troop  of 
whales,  of  a  species  which  is  certainly  undescribed.  I 
had  ample  opportunity  for  examination,  and  found  that 
it  was  a  Delphinorhynchus,  thirty  feet  in  length,  black 
above  and  white  beneath,  with  the  swimming  paws  white 
on  the  upper  surface,  and  isolated  by  the  surrounding 
black  of  the  upper  parts, — a  very  remarkable  character. 
This  could  not  have  been  the  Toothless  Whale  of  Havre; 
and  there  is  no  other  wi'th  which  it  can  be  confounded. 
Here,  then,  is  a  whale  of  large  size,  occurring  in  great 
numbers  in  the  North  Atlantic,  which  on  no  other  occa- 
sion lias  fallen  under  scientific  observation. 


368  THE  GEEAT  UNKNOWN. 

Are  not  these  facts,  then,  sufficiently  weighty  to  re- 
strain us  from  rejecting  so  great  an  amount  of  testimony 
to  the  so-called  sea-serpent,  merely  on  the  ground  that 
its  dead  remains  have  not  come  under  examination  ? 

In  conclusion,  I  express  my  own  confident  persuasion, 
that  there  exists  some  oceanic  animal  of  immense  propor- 
tions, which  has  not  yet  been  received  into  the  category 
of  scientific  zoology ;  and  rny  strong  opinion,  that  it  pos- 
sesses close  affinities  With  the  fossil  Enaliosauria  of  the 
lias 


IISTDEX. 


ADVENTURE  WITH  BEAR,  245 — ele- 
phant, 247,  249— rhinoceros,  250, 
251— buffalo,  251 — kangaroo,  254 
—alligator,  263— serpents,  265- 
269— bees,  269. 

Africa,  night  in,  33 — elephant  in, 
56— beasts  of,  119,  246,  284. 

Alatou  Mountains,  46. 

Alligator,  voracity  of,  263. 

Altaian,  sunset  in,  23. 

Andes,  scene  in,  49. 

Animalcules,  159. 

Animals,  jealousy  of,  197 — combats 
with,  241 — undiscovered,  279. 

Anurcea,  170. 

Aracknodiscus,  154. 

Arctic  regions,  1. 

Aurora  borealis,  1. 

Autumn  in  America,  10 — Alps,  12. 

BANYAN,  133. 
Baobab,  135. 

Bees,  encounter  with,  269. 
Beagle  Channel.  47. 
Bear,    brown,   244— Syrian,   244 — 
grizzly,  245. 


Beaver  pond,  13. 

Bird  of  paradise,  183 — of  Washing- 
ton, 184. 

Birds,  voices  of,  4 — awakening  of, 
17 — oceanic,  81 — planting  forests, 
103— tameness  of,  195. 

Bison,  Eussian,  203. 

Bittern,  boom  of,  227 — American, 
228. 

Blind  Fauna,  76. 

Brine,  life  in,  73. 

Buffalo,  fury  of,  251. 

Burrell,  54. 

Bushmaster,  267. 

Butterflies  in  spring,  5 — in  Brazil, 
59— king  of,  189. 

CACHALOT,    common,    116,   223  — 

high -finned,  316. 
Cactus,  giant,  130. 
Cane,  length  of,  129. 
Carchesium,  162. 
Caves,  blind  animals  of,  76. 
Chamois,  208. 
Chuck-will's  widow,  173. 
Churchyard,  adventure  in,  181. 


370 


INDEX. 


Collecting,  pleasures  of,  271  —  in 
Jamaica,  272 — in  Brazil,  274 — 
in  Arm,  278. 

Condor,  119. 

Coral  formations,  89. 

Crocodile,  262. 

Crusting,  207. 

Cuttle,  assault  of,  235. 

Cypress,  large,  136. 

Cypress  swamp,  228. 

DARTER,  215. 
Depths,  life  at,  64,  292. 
Desert,  life  in,  68. 
Devil-bird,  230. 

Diatoms,  forms  of,  96,  154 — influ- 
ence of,  96 — increase  of,  155. 
Dogs,  wild,  238. 
Dragon-tree,  133. 
Duck,  summer,  199. 

EAGLE,  Washington's,  184 — jealousy 

of,  198. 

Egg  of  salpina,  167. 
Elephant  in  Africa,  56 — height  of, 

117— rage  of,  247. 
Elevations,  insects  of,  87. 
Enaliosauri,  existing,  361. 

FAUNA,  blind,  76. 

Fawn,  Gemze",  210. 

Fern-owls,  186. 

Ferns,  tree,  178. 

Fire-flies,  34. 

Fishes  in  boiling  water,  75 — in  bed, 

87 — in  parlour,  88. 
Flies,  plagues  of,  110. 
Flints,  origin  of,  100. 
floscularia,  163. 


Flowers,  spring,  6. 

Forest,  leafing  of,  7 — coloui-s  of,  10 
—in  Brazil,  59,  179— planted  by 
birds,  103 — in  Jamaica,  177. 

Frost,  effects  of,  3. 

GANGES,  source  of,  55. 
Gazelle,  39. 
Golubacser  fly,  111. 
Gorilla,  257. 
Grebes,  114. 
Guacharo,  76,  232. 
Guanaco,  49. 
Gum-trees,  large,  138. 

HANNO,  voyage  of,  257. 
Heliconia,  175. 
Hot  springs,  life  in,  75. 
Hyena  in  Palmyra,  41. 

ICE,  trees  in,  68. 

Iguana,  case  of,  361. 

Infusoria,  159. 

Insects,  destructive,  105 — water,  15 
—luminous,  34 — brine,  73  —  at 
sea,  84 — at  great  heights,  87. 

Invisible,  the,  153. 

Islands,  coral,  90. 

JACKAL,  shriek  of,  237. 
Jamaica,  morning  in,  16 — forest  in, 
177— collecting  in,  272. 

KANGAROO,  combat  with,  254. 

LAGOONS,  93. 
Lammergeyer,  45. 
Leafing  of  trees,  7. 
Lion  at  midnight,  57. 


INDEX. 


371 


Locust-tree,  size  of,  138. 
Locusts,  ravages  of,  105. 

MAMMOTH-TREE,  141. 

Manoota,  268. 

Melicerta,  150. 

Methuen,  peril  of,  251. 

Moose,  caution  of,  205. 

Monkeys,  voices  of,  237. 

Morning  in  Newfoundland,  13— in 

Jamaica,  16 — in  Venezuela,  18 — 

in  the  Oural,  19. 
Moss  in  Africa,  192. 
Mothing,  24. 
M'Quhse,  Captain,  sees  sea-serpent, 

315 — replies  to  Owen,  332. 
Musquito,  112. 

NEWFOUNDLAND,  morning  in,  13. 

Noon,  winter  in  England,  20— in 
Brazil,  21. 

Notommata,  165. 

Night  in  the  Alps,  26 — in  Jamaica, 
27 — sounds  of,  28— on  the  Ama- 
zon, 32 — in  Africa,  33 — among 
fern-owls,  186. 

OAK,  large,  137. 
Ocean,  depths  of,  290. 
Omithoptera,  188. 
Ostrich,  shyness  of,  201. 
Oswell,  adventures  of,  248,  250. 
Oural,  morning  in,  19 — sunset  in, 

22.  ,' 

Owen,  Professor,  on  sea-serpent,  322. 
Owls,  voices  of,  227,  231. 
Oxen,  wild,  201. 

PARK,  M.,  moss  of,  192. 


Plesiosaur,  characters  of,  :j 5 7— re- 
vived, 358. 

Pool  in  America,  213. 
Polypes,  coral,  90. 
Prairie  wolves,  237. 

RATAN,  size  of,  129. 
Reindeer,  50. 
Rhea,  201. 

Rhinoceros,  rage  of,  250. 
Rotifera,  165-170. 

Salpina,  165— egg  of,  167. 

Sculpture  of  Rotifera,  169. 

Sea,  deep,  64,  290,  295 — dust  at,  72 
— insects  at,  84 — streaks  at,  99 — 
clearness  of,  295. 

Sea-weeds,  long,  128. 

Serpent,  the  great  sea,  300  —  in 
Norway,  300  —  in  N.  America, 
306— seen  by  five  officers,  311— 
of  the  Dcedalw,  314,  317,  332, 
343 — seen  by  Mr  Stirling,  318 — 
identified  with  Plesiosaurus,  320, 
331,  357-368— seal,  325,  347-353 
— ribbon-fish,  338, 354 — sea-weed, 
339,  342— whale,  353— shark,  353 
— eel,  354 — snakes,  354 — seen  by 
Davidson,  334— Steele,  336— Her 
riman,  339 — Harrington,  341  — 
Smith,  342 — characters  of,  345. 

Serpents,  great,  122 — venom  of,  '1  i 
— marine,  354. 

Sequoia,  141. 

Shark,  capture  of,  218 — coimtfmr>  « 
of,  221— instinct  of,  222— vow 
city  of,  261. 

Sheep,  wild,  54. 

Shrew,  water,  215. 


372 


INDEX. 


Shrimp,  brine,  73. 
Siberia,  scene  in,  43. 
Silver-thaw,  3. 
Snake-bird,  214. 
Snow,  beauty  of,  2— life  in.  66. 
Snow  fjeld,  51. 
Snow-storm,  2. 
Sounds  of  night,  28. 
Spring,  4 — in  Canada,  7. 
Sprites,  225. 
Stag,  Siberian,  43. 
Stentor,  161. 
Storks,  181. 
Summer,  Indian,  11. 
Sunset  in  the  Oural,  22— in  the  Al- 
taian, 23. 

TAMENESS  of  animals,  195. 
Termites,  106. 
Thackwray,  death  of,  249. 
Timber,  destroyers  of,  105,  109. 
Tree-frogs,  voices  of,  28,  29. 
Trees,   enormous,   135 — mammoth, 

141. 

Tropical  scenery,  179. 
Tsetse,  110. 

UNEARTHLINESS,  225. 
Unicorn,  traditions  of,  285 — Recent 
reports  of,  28C. 


Urania,  177. 
TJrus,  Scottish,  201. 

VENEZUELA,  morning  in,  18. 
Volcano,  life  in,  71. 
Victoria  regia,  190. 

WATER,  a  drop  of,  158. 
Water-fowl,  lines  to,  200— at  night, 

234. 

Water-insects,  15. 
Water-lily,  royal,  190. 
Water-shrew,  215. 
Whale-fishing,  perils  of,  259. 
Whale  of   Havre,  365— Sowerby's, 

366 — Rhinoceros,  366  —  Gosse's, 

367. 

Whale,  sperm,  48,  116. 
Whales,  size  of,  115 — by  night,  223. 
Whetsaw,  voice  of,  226. 
White-ants,  106. 

Winter,  charms  of,  1 — Noon  in,  20. 
Wolves,  prairie,  237 — European,  241 

— voracity  of,  242 — night-attack 

of,  243. 

YEW,  large,  137. 

ZAMANG,  136. 
Zimb,  110. 


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LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

Book  Slip-50m-8,'66(G5530s4)458 


N°   458610 

Gosse,   P.H. 

The  romance  of 
natural  history. 


